As Baekhyun stepped out of his car into the hot summer sun, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight streaming down from the clear blue sky. A faint breeze blew, carrying the strong taste of salt and the scent of seawater as it rolled over the beach adjoining the parking lot that Baekhyun’s car was now parked in. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and he had decided to visit the famous beaches of his hometown Daeyang to examine the various flora and fauna that had been trapped in the tide pools that day. It was his long-running thesis project for his degree, and he only had a little under a year before he graduated.

He closed his car door and lung his bookbag over his bag as he stepped off of the sandy boardwalk and into the dense white sand of the beach. He held his hands in his pockets as he trekked along the shoreline. It was still early in the morning, and so there was no one else besides the occasional jogger to bother Baekhyun and inquire about his curious visit. He stared out into the water, admiring the light dancing across the waves as they rolled in to gently beat on the shore, before the landscape transitioned to a rockier, more rugged expanse. Towering cliffs surged inland, glistening still from the surf that battered them during high tide. It was here where Baekhyun’s beloved tide pools could be found.

They were a small collection of gaping holes in the rocky ground about ten feet away from the base of the cliffs, filled with sparkling clear water and home to flourishing microbiomes. The deepest of the tide pools was about seven feet, right in the middle of the small collection of puddles. Baekhyun held out his arms for balance as he carefully picked his way over the slippery, uneven ground before plunking down beside the largest pool and removing a waterproof notebook from his bag. He flipped through white pages filled with endless charts and notes detailing the many years of his careful records before arriving to the entry for that day. He noted the date before scooting closer to the edge of the pool.

It was a beautiful sight, no doubt; in the clear depths Baekhyun noted many collections of small schooled fish swimming slowly through the water, flashing in silvers and blues. Small corals and anemones bloomed in the rocky crevices, shining with all colors of the rainbow. Barnacles clung to the rugged walls, and a few small crabs scuttled along the sandy ground to hide in small dips in the walls or nip at any fish who grew too close. Starfish inched their way along with their tiny tube feet. However, the most remarkable thing that Baekhyun noted that day was the terrified-looking mermaid huddled at the bottom, staring at him with wide blue eyes that glistened like the sea.

Baekhyun rubbed his eyes to chase away the daydream that had obviously fallen upon him and glanced back into the pool. The gorgeous creature was still there. She had shimmering black hair that flowed in waves around her head, and wore a silk-like top adorned with pearls to cover her ample chest. Her skin shone white in the water, almost luminescent. Below her waist spanned a massive tail with many fan-like fins, and a seaweed wrap served as a sort of belt around her hips. In her hair, she had placed a brilliantly blue starfish.

Baekhyun excitedly beckoned for her to come to the surface, and the mermaid shook her head feverishly, causing bubbles to spiral around her. Baekhyun repeated the motion, smiling gently and reassuringly, and after hesitating for a moment the mythical creature swam gracefully to the top of the pool and poked her head out of the water.

“Yes?” she asked awkwardly, then gasped as Baekhyun plucked the sea star from her hair and began expertly sketching it in the notebook. “That’s what you wanted?” she asked incredulously, looking over his arm to watch him at work. She seemed to be fascinated with his actions, and that the pencil that he was using left distinct marks on the paper.

“I’ve never seen this species before,” he remarked as he tossed the starfish back into the water. It sank down to the bottom before it began scooting across the sand, seemingly affronted by Baekhyun’s rudeness. Baekhyun flipped the notebook closed and glanced back down at the mermaid, who was still staring at the book with reverence and curiosity. “I’ve never seen a mermaid before, either,” he added.

“I fell asleep,” she admitted bashfully, her shimmering tail slowly swinging back and forth in the water as she rested her arms on the edge of the pool. “I come to look for shiny things in the pools here when the water is high. Humans leave behind fascinating things,” she explained. “I’ve never seen a human before. My mother says they’re dangerous, but you don’t seem to be.”

In truth, Baekhyun was struggling to contain his excitement. Proving the existence of mermaids would totally upend the scientific community. Maybe I could even win the Nobel prize, he thought dreamily as he observed the pretty sea woman. She was staring at him with uneasiness, as if she could tell that he was considering turning her into a confined zoo creature; he immediately felt guilty for even contemplating the notion, as she was too human to justify such a horrid thing. He sighed. There goes my Nobel prize…

“Most humans wouldn’t hesitate to do the kind of horrible things your mother must tell you about,” Baekhyun warned, and the mermaid’s expression twisted into one of fearful alarm. “However,” he added firmly, “I won’t hurt you. I study sea creatures, and I leave them where they belong.” The girl seemed to relax at the reassurance, and gestured to the notebook.

“So that is where you put all your information on the sea creatures?” she asked, and Baekhyun nodded. He flipped the book open to show her the various drawings he had collected over the years, including tropical fish, corals and anemones, jellyfish, starfish, and even a few sea snails and slugs. The mermaid’s gorgeous eyes danced of the images with a hungering curiosity, and seemed disappointed when he closed the book and deposited it into his backpack. He was going to learn as much about the mysterious creature as he could before he took his leave of her.

“So what’s your name?” he asked curiously. “Mine is Baekhyun,” he added, thinking it rude not to introduce himself to the pretty girl first. She seemed pleased at the inquiry, and straightened up slightly as she answered.

“My name is Mi-young,” she answered with a haughty air, as if she were royalty. Maybe I found a mermaid princess, Baekhyun thought with a slight smirk. She stared at him expectantly, as if awaiting some compliment.

“That’s a beautiful name. It’s very nice to meet you,” he responded regally, and did a slight bow, the best he could do in a sitting position. The mermaid giggled, and Baekhyun noted what a beautiful sound it was, like the tinkling of clear bells.

“You’re a funny human,” she mused, then looked around her at the shifted landscape. It seemed that it had just dawned on her what a predicament she had landed herself in, and her expression morphed into one of despair. “Oh… The water sure went down quite a bit. Who knows how long I’ll be here,” she moped. Baekhyun glanced down the rocky expanse of beach to squint at the sandy shores beside it. Colorful umbrellas had begun popping up against the beige background of sand, and he could spot figures playing in the waves or sunbathing on towels. The beach was beginning to grow more populated, and before long a curious child or two would wander to the tide pools to take a poke at the sea creatures contained inside, and would likely stumble across the helpless mermaid. Who knows what would happen then, he thought with a slight frown.

Baekhyun felt intense pity for the trapped creature. She was no more helpless than a dolphin tangled in a net or a whale beached in the surf, and was therefore deserving of his assistance. He stood up and brushed off his pants, and Mi-young glanced up at him frightfully, terrified that he was going to abandon her to whatever fate she may suffer at the next human to stumble across her presence. Instead, he merely opened his arms up wide.

“Here, jump up, and I’ll carry you to the ocean,” he instructed, motioning with his head to the waves beating on the edge of the rocky shore. Mi-young frowned, contemplating whether she could trust him or not; in the end, she dove down into the tide pool with a magnificent flourish, her giant tail splashing above the surface before powerfully propelling her to the bottom of the pool. She then curled in an impressive arc to rocket through the water, leaping out of the clear water to throw herself into Baekhyun’s waiting arms. The young man stumbled at the impact, his feet slipping across the wet rocks, but he clung tightly to Mi-young and held her securely in his arms as he regained his footing.

“You’re a very kind human,” she murmured, the beautiful blue eyes gazing into his own. Baekhyun suddenly grew intensely self-conscious, and began spluttering nonsense until Mi-young gasped and glanced down at her tail. It began emitting a soft white light, and the glow enveloped her scaly tail and began to shift and writhe as it pulled apart. After a few moments the light faded, and the pair found that Mi-young’s massive tailed had morphed into a pair of smooth human legs. Baekhyun’s face went beet red when he realized that he was holding a half- girl, which elicited the appropriate response: he dropped her.

“Sorry!” he cried instantly as the mermaid landed roughly on the rocky ground. She exclaimed in pain, the rough surface scratching her smooth skin, and she glanced up at him with a hurt expression.

“What did you do that for?” she whined as she rubbed the scrapes gingerly. Baekhyun was too busy staring everywhere but at the mermaid, his face still bright.

“I’m sorry. I was just shocked,” he mumbled in embarrassment. He suddenly grabbed the bag and rummaged through it until he pulled out a beach towel, opening it up and gently wrapping it around Mi-young to conceal the lower half of her body. “There. That’s better,” he smiled in satisfaction. The mermaid didn’t answer, captivated by the soft material; she ran her fingers over the fabric, her eyes glittering in a child-like manner as she explored the fibers. “Mi-young? We don’t have much time,” he reminded her sternly, and the mermaid jerked out of her trance.

“Of course. Take me to the ocean, please!” she cried, wrapping her arms around Baekhyun’s neck as he dipped down to lift her once more. Baekhyun was surprised at how light the girl was, and he easily straightened himself up while holding her tightly. His heartbeat quickened as he became aware of the side of her body pressed against his own, and he could feel the calm rhythm of her breathing.

Just a girl, Baekhyun, don’t freak out… But this is the first time I’ve really held a girl, he thought uneasily as he prepared to begin carrying her over the rocky ground.

As he prepared to take the first step, Baekhyun heard a sound that turned his blood to ice.

“Baekhyun!” called a cheerful voice, one that he recognized all too well. He hurriedly straightened himself up and frantically searched for a place in his general vicinity to deposit the mermaid and hide her, but there was nothing save for the painfully clear tide pools. The call came frighteningly closer.

“What do we do?” Mi-young whispered fearfully, gazing up at him with her wide blue eyes. Baekhyun had no answer, and he flinched violently as the call resounded once more. With a small groan, he slowly turned to face his seeker. It was a tall boy with windblown red hair and a cheeky smile, standing at the bottom of the cliffs and waving excitedly. He impatiently picked his way closer, slipping and sliding across the rocky ground before coming to rest a few feet from Baekhyun.

“Chanyeol,” he sighed.

“Baekhyun! I’ve been looking for y- Who’s that?” he cried when he spotted the girl in his arms.

“I don’t know. I found her by the pools; it looked like she slipped and hit her head,” he lied quickly, glancing down at the mermaid. She had seemingly read his mind, as she had her dainty head resting against his chest, with her eyes closed as if she had fallen unconscious. Chanyeol frowned, walking closer to inspect the girl in worry.

“You found her all alone? I wonder how long she’s been out here,” he fretted, looking up at Baekhyun with knit eyebrows.

“I’m not sure. I was just about to take her to the hospital before you got here,” he responded, and Chanyeol nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, good idea. I’ll come with you!” he suggested, and an icy thunderbolt of panic shot through Baekhyun’s body once more. He nodded before he knew what he was doing, and was then carrying the “unconscious” girl down the rocky expanse while his friend walked alongside him, chattering about how lucky the mystery woman was that Baekhyun had stumbled across her. Baekhyun was too busy having an inner breakdown to listen, as he was struggling to invent an excuse to distract Chanyeol long enough for him to decide what to do with the mermaid. It grew worse as the denizens of the beach flocked to him, pestering him with questions about the girl. It wasn’t until Baekhyun arrived to the car that an idea finally bloomed in his mind.

“Chanyeol, why don’t you stay here?” he suggested as his friend opened the passenger side door. He cocked his head to the side in confusion, and Baekhyun hastily added, “You could search the beach for anyone who might know her. Perhaps she wandered off to look at the tide pools and slipped. Surely if she was here with someone, they might go looking for her.”

“Oh! I see! That’s a brilliant idea, Baekhyun!” he agreed happily, hopping onto the boardwalk. “I’ll call you if I hear anything!” he added before dashing off across the sand to assault the beach patrons with his inquiries. Baekhyun released the heavy sigh he had been struggling to contain, and Mi-young tiredly lifted her head.

“Who knew pretending to be asleep could be so exhausting?” she yawned, staring sadly at the growing crowd on the beach. “I suppose you can’t return me to the ocean now… What is this ‘hospital’?” she asked as Baekhyun gently placed her into the car and drew the seatbelt across her.

“It’s a place for sick people, but I’m not taking you there,” he answered as he closed the door and walked around the front of the car to get into the driver’s seat. “I just told him that to buy some time and keep him from asking too many questions.” Mi-young was looking around with intense curiosity at the mysterious contraption she had been loaded into, but she swallowed her immense amount of questions and looked at Baekhyun with unease.

“Where are you taking me, then?” she asked quietly, and Baekhyun could tell that she still harbored doubts concerning his integrity in her mind. He smiled and reached over to pat her on the head, then shifted the vehicle in drive to exit the parking lot.

“Home, I guess. We can return tonight, when no one is here, to get you back to your home. We’ll just have to keep up the story until then,” he answered. It sounded simple enough, but on the inside Baekhyun was writhing with anxiety.

What have I gotten myself into?