Baekhyuhn’s heart was hammering so hard inside his ribcage that he was terrified he would suffer a heart attack. As he spun around in a circle, desperately searching the crowd for signature black hair and blue eyes, he was muttering incomprehensibly under his breath. He then whirled on his frightened companions, eyes wide with near-madness as he panted heavily.

“Where did she go? She was right there! Where did she go?” he demanded shrilly. Terrified at his voice, several octaves higher than normal, they shrunk back and shrugged pitifully. The frantic boy pulled at his hair, ripping a few strands of it from his scalp, as his wild eyes searched the crowd once more for the lost mermaid. This is bad, this is so bad! He thought in panic. She’s all alone! What if something happens? What if she changes? Oh, God, someone will see and then they’ll come to take her away! Mi-young! His thoughts were filled with pure lunacy as he imagined Mi-young displayed in an aquarium tank, chained and cowering while good-for-nothing businessmen dived into pools filled with stacks of cash. He felt his consciousness begin to fade as someone clapped a hand on his shoulder, and he whipped around with a feral expression.

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol cried as he slapped him in the face, hard. Baekhyun blinked as his sanity returned to him, and he numbly rubbed his reddening cheek. “We’ll find her,” the tall boy swore, whirling on the group of boys. “Listen up, troops!” he shouted. The boys snapped to attention, and Chanyeol crossed his arms with a determined expression. “Our orders are to search and rescue! Eliminate any suspicious suspects! Operation Save Our Princess begins now! Move out!” he cried, pointing a finger to the squadron of idols. After chiming, “Yes sir!” they disappeared into the crowd, while Chanyeol grinned over his shoulder to give Baekhyun a thumbs-up. Exhausted from his near-death experience, he merely smiled weakly back.

He followed Chanyeol into the main hallway, managing to spot a few of his companions disappearing into various stores in search of their lost charge. Baekhyun’s stomach twisted in knots as he followed closely behind his friend, nightmarish visions dancing in his head all the while.

“I hope she’s okay,” he mumbled as he toted the shopping bags along. He felt another pang of guilt every time he looked at them. Mi-young had been counting on him to protect her in the dangerous human world, and he had failed miserably. Now she was lost, alone, and probably scared out of her mind.

“She’s tough,” Chanyeol smiled reassuringly at him. Baekhyun was unconvinced, however, and sighed for the millionth time as he followed the red-haired boy into a clothing store. They searched between every rack, in the dressing rooms, and actually poked their heads into the girls’ bathroom to call her name (earning both of them a gang of angrily girls charging after them as they made a hasty retreat). After about thirty minutes of similar results and quite a few poundings to the head when a girl managed to catch them, Baekhyun plopped down miserably on a wooden bench, throwing his arms in the air in irritation.

“This is hopeless! We’ll never find her,” he moped. Chanyeol stood over him, poking his despairing friend in the cheek. Annoyed, Baekhyun angrily swatted the hand away.

“Don’t give up! With all twelve of us on the hunt, I’m sure we’ll find her,” he chimed with his voice full of optimism. Ever the pessimist, Baekhyun snorted and crossed his arms, sinking down onto the bench with his lips pursed into a pout. Accepting that Baekhyun was going to sulk for a while, Chanyeol shrugged and plopped down beside him, his bright eyes scanning the passersby in case the mermaid happened to wander by.

Mi-young… Please be okay, Baekhyun thought anxiously.

Meanwhile, the confused mermaid was wandering hopelessly down the hall, farther and farther away from Baekhyun and his search party. Sniffling hopelessly, she entered shop after shop, too distraught to pay much attention to the normally intriguing contents. She meandered into a gaming shop, where young teenage boys gawked at the presence of a female in their sanctum while they pummeled each other in a fighting game demo. She visited a hairdressing place, where she was forced to make a hasty retreat when the free employees descended on her, twittering over her luscious black hair. She wandered into a shoe store, strolling between the racks upon racks of footwear, and miserably uttering Baekhyun’s name as she searched desperately for any sign of him. She was close to tears as she approached a small stall in the middle of the hallway, where an energetic woman flitted from one side to the other, attempting to entice passersby with her wares. The woman’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she spotted the despondent mermaid wandering hopelessly across the tile floors.

“You there!” she exclaimed as she zipped in front of Mi-young. Startled, she stumbled back, but her escape was blocked by a cold vending machine. “You look like a woman who has hard luck with the boys, eh?” she grinned as she nudged the mermaid knowingly with her elbow. “Beautiful features, but not too bright in the fashion department?” Utterly confused, Mi-young looked down at herself, unable to see what the crazy woman was referring to. “I have the thing for you, my dear!” she cried as she procured a glass bottle filled with a pink-colored liquid.

“Please, I don’t need anything. I’m trying to find Baekhyun,” she moped.

“Aren’t we all?” the woman sighed longingly as she stared off into the distance. Snapping back to reality, she danced around Mi-young, keeping the bewildered mermaid from slipping away. “This here, my dear, will have the boys slobbering at your feet. One puff of this and you’ll be like the goddess of love! They simply won’t be able to resist!” she promoted.

“I don’t want them slobbering at my feet,” the mermaid responded as she tilted her head to the side.

“Nonsense! What girl doesn’t want to be doted on by a man?” the woman laughed incredulously, then held up the bottle. “Now hold still!” Mi-young gasped as the woman darted around her and sprayed every inch of her exposed skin with the mysterious substance. It was extremely aromatic, and when the scent began to waft up Mi-young’s nose, she began to hack and cough. She was not used to such strong smells. She waved her hand to clear away the cloud of perfume, but the oil had seeped into her skin, and the scent clung. Her eyes stung as the lingering perfume in the air fell into her eyes. She began to cry, both as a reaction to the strong aroma and her own misery, while the perfume-seller stepped back to admire her work. She frowned at the young girl’s reaction. “What? Don’t like it? I have other samples you can try!” she offered excitedly.

“N-no!” Mi-young screamed as she barged past the woman. Crying and coughing, she held tenderly as she dashed through the mall, desperate to get far, far away from the lunatic saleswoman. People cried out in alarm as she came zipping past, but she did not care; finally, when she calmed down enough and slowed her pace, she found herself in yet another area of the mall she was unfamiliar with. “Baekhyun! Baekhyun, please help me!” she wailed as she rubbed her watery eyes and plopped down miserably on the bench. Giving in to her emotions, she began to sob and wail, startling many of the other mall visitors that passed by. They edged away from the crying woman, quite unsure how to react as they pulled their children away and muttered to each other in hushed voices. Between coughs, she hiccupped and sobbed, completely inconsolable.

I’m lost… I just want someone, anyone! I want my boys! I want Baekhyun!

“Ma’am, are you all right?” asked a tough-sounding voice, and Mi-young peered through her fingers to see a tall man in a black uniform standing in front of her. He had dark hair and eyes, with hard features that made him looked threatening. A club-like weapon hung loosely at his side. She whimpered and retreated into herself, intimidated by the man. “Ma’am?” he repeated.

“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she replied timidly. The strange man blinked in confusion, and the mermaid noticed his features soften slightly as he crouched down in front of her, resting one elbow on his knee.

“It’s all right. I’m a police officer,” he stated with a small smile. Mi-young’s blue eyes searched the man, but found no sign of hostility or threat, and she slowly lowered her hands with a sniffle. He seemed friendly enough. “Didn’t your parents teach you that police officers are always there to help?” If I told him that I’m a mermaid and we don’t have ‘police officers,’ I don’t think Baekhyun would like that, she thought with a frown. So, she nodded slightly in affirmation, hoping he would buy the act. He smiled wider at her. “Now, what’s the matter?”

“I’m lost,” she answered sadly. “I came here with Baekhyun and his housemates to buy clothes, and then we got pizza and it was really good, but then I tripped in the crowd and they were all gone!” she recounted. Overcome with emotion, she began sobbing once more.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” he asked kindly.

“Mi-young,” she answered between sobs.

“Don’t worry, Mi-young. I’ll bring you to the customer service desk, and we’ll call your friends to come get you. How does that sound?” he offered as he held out a hand for her. Fearing it to be a trap, she shook her head and cried more.

“No! I’m not supposed to go with strangers! Baekhyun said so!” she snapped. As the police officer frowned, unsure what to do, she heard soft footsteps approach.

“Mi-young?” came a quiet voice. The mermaid dropped her hands from her eyes, blinking the tears away to clear her cloudy vision. The shape in front of her slowly came into view as the last few tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Lay?” she murmured as the boy took a few steps over her, leaning over slightly to smile warmly at her. He placed a hand on the top of her head, ruffling her hair gently and reassuringly.

“Don’t cry, Mi-young. It’s okay now,” he soothed as he gazed at her with soft eyes. Comforted, the girl gave one last sniffle before a small smile formed on her lips. He took her hands and gently pulled her to her feet, smiling all the while. “There, now. You don’t have to be scared anymore.” Mi-young nodded eagerly, wiping her wet cheeks with the backs of her hands.

“You know this woman?” the police officer asked as he stood and rested a hand on his hip.

“Yes, sir. Sorry if she caused any trouble,” Lay chirped. The officer brought him aside for a moment, speaking words that the mermaid could not hear with a grim expression. After the brief conversation, the man nodded and tipped his hat at the mermaid, walking over to her.

“You’ve done very well today, Mi-young. I’m glad your friend found you. Just remember, though, police officers aren’t strangers,” he smiled softly before gently ruffling her hair and continuing his patrol. Mi-young blinked up at Lay, who had returned to her side.

“Is that true?” she asked with doubt.

“Yep. If you ever get lost again, Mi-young, you can trust police officers,” he reassured. The mermaid felt slightly guilty for being so uncooperative when the kind man had been simply trying to help her. As his back began to recede into the distance, she hopped to her feet and yelled, “Thank you, Mr. Police Officer!” He did not turn, but raised his arm as a sign that he had heard. Mi-young smiled happily. However, still stung, and she erupted into a coughing fit that had her doubled over clutching her stomach. When she finally managed to look up, Lay was staring down at her with a concerned expression.

“Some weird lady sprayed this stuff all over me!” she huffed between coughs. Lay grabbed her wrist and raised it to his nose to give an experimental sniff, recoiling as the strong aroma assaulted his nostrils. He instantly dropped her hand. His eyes began to water slightly at the absurd strength of the perfume that Mi-young had been doused in.

“That is some strong perfume. I’m afraid that won’t be coming off for a while,” he frowned. “However, we can at least get you some water for that cough. Follow me, and then we’ll go find the others, okay?” he offered with a soft smile. She nodded in agreement, smiling shyly when he kindly offered his hand to her. She took it gratefully and allowed him to guide her carefully through the crowd, walking slowly to match her pace. Her heart sung with appreciation as she plodded along beside him, coughing occasionally. Baekhyun really does have nice friends. I’m so glad I live with them, she thought happily.

Lay brought her to the side of the hallway where another, smaller section split off. There were considerably less people here, she noted- only a few customers meandering around or lounging on the metal benches. Several vending machines glowed in the gloom with bright neon lights, advertising a number of tasty and unhealthy beverages and snacks. While Mi-young stared, lured in by the bright colors and slogans, Lay guided her gently to another tiny hallway that split off from the side. The air hummed with machinery, and men and women occasionally exited the small rooms on either side of the hall. Every once in a while, Mi-young heard the flushing of the strange bowl contraption she had found in Baekhyun’s bathroom upon her arrival. Lay, however, led her to the silver machines built into the walls. She stared hard at it, experimentally pressing the button. She gasped when an arc of clean, clear water gushed from the spout.

“That really is some amnesia,” he frowned as he regarded her fascinated reaction. While she continuously turned the stream on and off, she nodded.

“Yes. I would be hopeless without Baekhyun and all you guys,” she smiled up at him. Lay smiled bashfully and turned a bright shade of pink; he rubbed the back of his neck shyly and looked down at the ground. Meanwhile, Mi-young pranced over to the neighboring watering fountain, pressing the button. She was alarmed when the streaming arc of water sprayed not into the silver tray, but splattered down her front. Some local hooligan had turned the spout to the side, hoping to ruin someone’s day, and had managed to make the clueless mermaid his or her prey. As the fabric turned dark with water, she felt a familiar tingling sensation in her legs. “Oh no!” she cried, and Lay snapped out of his daydreams to rush to her side as her legs gave way. He caught her under the arms, and his eyes grew wide as saucers as her legs flashed with a bright light. Writhing with magic, they fused together to form her glimmering mermaid tail. It flapped uselessly on the tile floor, and Mi-young panicked as she grabbed tightly onto Lay’s arms. She heard footsteps approaching, and began to panic further, nearly hyperventilating with fear. “No! They can’t see me!” she shrieked as she flapped her tail against the tile floor in an attempt to propel herself further away from the hallway entrance.

“Hold on, Mi-young!” Lay grunted as he quickly threw the men’s bathroom door open and dragged them inside. Thankfully, it was not full of stalls, but a single-person bathroom. He hastily locked the door behind him before gently setting the mermaid down on the dirty floor, taking a step back to run his hand through his hair and stare wide-eyed at her scaly fish tail. Embarrassed, Mi-young averted her gaze. “You’re a… a… a…” he stammered in disbelief.

“A mermaid,” she admitted sadly. Oh, Baekhyun’s going to be really mad at me now! She thought glumly as Lay began to pace back and forth across the bathroom floor, continuously glancing at her in utter shock and incredulity.