Mi-young sat cross-legged on the floor, a cookie hanging out of as the visions flashing across the smooth glass screen danced in her blue eyes, colors and words that made little sense to her but mesmerized her nonetheless. Grandma Lee was rocking back and forth in the chair, sticks clicking away as she worked dutifully on the second of a pair of knitted knee-high stockings for Mi-young. The mermaid girl had acquired quite a collection of garments from the old woman, all of which she was displaying proudly on her body: a knitted cap, a scarf with a matching pair of gloves, and a pair of little socks. The colorful patterns and plush fabric pleased Mi-young enormously, and while the old woman toiled away at the accessories, she chatted amiably and told the mermaid many interesting stories. When she was not working, however, she snoozed in the sunlight, leaving Mi-young quite bored.

Mi-young jumped slightly as a particularly glaring advertisement flashed across the screen, a bright action bubble with unfamiliar characters. She tuned into the advertisement, listening carefully to its contents.

“Scrambling for a last-minute gift for your Valentine? Not to worry, folks, Mina’s Supermarket has just what you need for the most special day of the year!” As the announcer spoke, couples perused the store goods, cuddling and holding hands and kissing. Valentine? she wondered. “We have just what you need for that special person in your life!” The announcer continued to prattle on about the various items on sale, but Mi-young was too lost in thought to listen. Special person? Baekhyun is special… she thought with a frown. So humans have a holiday for those special to them!

“Oh, no! I need to get Baekhyun a gift!” she realized aloud, jumping to her feet in a panic. Grandma Lee blinked up at her, halting her knitting progress abruptly at the mermaid’s flustered announcement.

“What’s wrong, dear?” she pondered as she set her project aside and slowly eased herself out of the chair, stretching her old bones and nodding in satisfaction at the pops.

“You heard what the man said! I need to find a gift for the special person in my life! Baekhyun is special… All the boys are! Oh, my, I need twelve gifts!” she screamed in a panic, dashing from one end of the living room to the other as she fretted furiously, nibbling at her thumbnail as she frantically attempted to discern what kind of present the boys would like, and how she would obtain them. Obviously, she needed to go to Mina’s Supermarket, but how she would get there was eluding her in her frazzled state of mind. Suddenly, the old woman began laughing hysterically, so powerfully that she held her belly and doubled over. Mi-young paused her nervous breakdown to stare at her in shock. “What’s so funny?”

“So, you want to give the boys presents for Valentine’s Day, do you?” she giggled, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes as she finally recovered, occasionally snickering. “Oh, that will be very fun, indeed.” The old woman smiled mischievously as she reached with her purse, but the mermaid had no idea what the grandmotherly caretaker could be scheming. She beckoned impatiently for Mi-young to follow. “Don’t fret, Mi-young, I’ll help you find suitable gifts for them. Come on, now, we’re going shopping!” she cackled, and too stressed about obtaining presents to worry about what the old woman could be up to, she followed her outside.

They crammed into Grandma Lee’s compact car and began the drive into the city. It was in a completely different area than the beachfront mall, and so a plethora of new experiences awaited the ever-curious mermaid. Cars were piled bumper-to-bumper along the roads, and Mi-young was amazed at the sheer volume of them as well as the variety- all kinds of shapes and sizes and colors, many of which dwarfed Grandma Lee’s little vehicle. Lights blinked green, yellow, and red, and after a few intersections, Mi-young was able to gather the meaning of each of them- green was to proceed, yellow was a warning, and red meant cease all advancement. Sometimes cares sped through the red lights, and Mi-young thought that was quite irresponsible and dangerous, but supposed such people had a decent reason for doing so.

As they approached the city, the building grew taller and less homely, with no vegetation to be seen save for the occasional tree and a little grass. There were giant parking spaces, large black areas with white lines designating parking spaces, rather than the tiny little concrete spaces that graced the homesteads in Baekhyun’s neighborhood. The buildings were largely rectangular, as well, but their lack of shape diversity was made up for by the diversity of appearance and function. The buildings were all different colors, with bright, exciting signs blooming like giant flowers against the skyline, each begging for attention. Many of the more lavish ones, Mi-young noticed, were for buildings relegated to the production of food, and that many cars sped through those places, which Grandma Lee explained as a “drive-through,” where they were handed food through a window for consumption at a later time. Though convenient, Mi-young thought it quite lazy. Why not stick around to eat? Conversations over food are quite fascinating. Mi-young’s favorite memories from beneath the sea were the grand banquets, where all the mermaids gathered for a communal dinner; stories of all kinds were exchanged here, and many visitors from other seas frequented the banquets, bringing fantastic tales of whimsy and adventure that Mi-young had always adored. She wondered if humans had such banquets, and if their regular meals were as fun and memorable; from what she had seen, she doubted so.

There were other buildings as well, gigantic outlets for the clothes and garments humans coveted. She saw that woman frequented these buildings often, but a few catered to men specifically, which she thought was nice. As they traveled down the trafficked roads, she saw several logos repeatedly, and supposed those must be very popular brands. She wondered if Baekhyun would take her for a visit; she certainly wanted to be in fashion, to make herself less noticeable and less likely to attract unwanted attention considering her “condition.” Besides, human clothing trends were fascinating, as were human trends in general. The other day, D.O. had presented her with what he called a “fidget spinner,” and the little spinning contraption had kept the mermaid occupied for several hours.

“All right, young lady, here we are!” Grandma Lee announced finally as she pulled into a giant parking lot. In glaring white neon letters, a sign spelled out “Mina’s Supermarket.” Customers were streaming in and out of the store, likely attracted by the same advertisement that Mi-young had seen, and finding a parking spot took several minutes. As they approached the long rectangular building, several action-bubble advertisements were plastered on the giant glass windows, crying, “Buy now and save!” and “One-time only!” and “These offers don’t last long!” Mi-young was disappointed to see significantly less couples mulling about than she had seen on the commercial, and wondered if it had been a sham. Grandma Lee led her into the building nonetheless, humming as she led the mermaid inside.

Mi-young was amazed by the sheer quantity of goods on display, all arranged neatly in towering shelves by category. The shelves stretched all the way to the back of the store, and the rows went all the way to the wall on either side, all stuffed to capacity with goods. The walls were lined with freezers and refrigerators for colder goods, and one section of the store was dedicated solely to children’s toys, and another electronics like the television that fascinated Mi-young so.

“Wow,” she breathed in shock, her blue eyes wide as they struggled to absorb the level of information being blasted at her. “There’s so much stuff!”

“That head injury of yours is quite extensive if you can’t remember something as base as a supermarket,” Grandma Lee sighed, patting her on the head in pity. “Take it all in, dear, it is quite a marvel.” It truly is, Mi-young agreed with a nod, her gaze sweeping over the store. They were currently standing by a set of automatic doors, where little basket-like cars were parked for customers to grab and push by hand and fill with their items. To the side, lines stretched from little kiosks where the goods were placed on tables to be purchased. Upon further inspection, Mi-young was shocked to see the top of the tables constantly moved, pushing the goods on to reach the employee and make space for more items. Ingenious! What a practical machine! I wonder how it works? She thought.

“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she remarked to the old woman as she followed her down one of the aisles, decked out in red decorations in the shape of hearts. Several people were clustered here, she noticed, poring over the articles.

“There are many wonders of this world we take for granted,” the old woman nodded sagely. “To us, it’s almost second nature, and we take it as simplicity. In reality, it’s all quite amazing how it works so simply,” she chuckled and came to a halt in front of a shelf stacked with small boxes. “Here we are. I think you will enjoy this.”

“A chocolate-making kit?” Mi-young inquired, reading the label of the box. “What is chocolate?”

“It was in those twelve cookies you ate, my dear,” the old woman teased lightly, and the mermaid blushed. She had gorged herself on the sweets, resulting in quite the painful stomachache that had her lying on the couch groaning while the old woman tended dutifully to her. Some things were best in moderation, she had discovered. “It’s a sweet. Chocolate is the traditional gift on Valentine’s Day, and for someone very special, you make it yourself. Young girls like yourself make quite a sport of it.”

“Is that so?” Mi-young asked, plucking the box from the shelf and looking it over. It looked quite fun, and if it was supposedly so popular, Mi-young was sure that they boys would greatly enjoy it. “All right! It doesn’t seem to hard. This is what I would like to get them!” she beamed, and began searching her pockets for the small bit of cash that Baekhyun had set aside for her should any purchases be necessary. However, Grandma Lee placed her wrinkled hand over her own and shook her head vehemently.

“Don’t worry, dear, this one is on me!” she smiled happily, and Mi-young thanked her repeatedly all through the store, the purchasing line, and the ride home. When they arrived to the home and piled into the kitchen, however, Mi-young’s gratitude was overtaken by her insatiable curiosity as Grandma Lee methodically removed the contents from the box and retrieved the necessary ingredients from the cupboard and refrigerator.

“Did you make homemade chocolate for someone special in your life, Grandma Lee?” Mi-young inquired as she added ingredients per the old woman’s commands.

“Oh, yes,” Grandma Lee chuckled. “I got into the craze, and made them for my husband every year. He always did love chocolate. It was my granddaughter who brought forth the idea,” she explained as she flipped on the stove and added water to a pot, placing it on to boil and pouring the concoction Mi-young had created inside. “She had a little boyfriend, you see, and she came to me in a fluster claiming her homemade chocolate kept coming out terrible, and she needed my help. I gave it her, of course- the poor thing never had any talent for baking, but she loved to come over and ask me to try out new recipes for her. She loved to learn,” she laughed, a tad wistfully. She must miss teaching her granddaughter things. Mi-young thought sadly. Once the water heated adequately, Grandma Lee removed the pot and poured it back into the bowl, instructing Mi-young to add the final ingredients and stir vigorously until all the lumps were out. “She ended up marrying that boy,” she mused. “Sometimes I like to think it’s on account of my chocolate!” she added mischievously, causing Mi-young to smile. The old woman really was entertaining.

“Is this good?” she asked the old woman, stooping down to show the creamy contents of the bowl to her.

“Perfect, my dear,” she nodded approvingly. She retrieved the mold that had come with the kit, and Mi-young carefully poured the mixture into the small indentations. Then, they placed them into the refrigerator to chill, and Mi-young accompanied the old woman back to the living room to watch her finish her stocking. “I’m almost sad that the boys will be returning tonight. I’ve had such a wonderful time with you, Mi-young,” she sighed. Her voice had a touch of sadness to it.

“You can come visit me anytime!” Mi-young beamed up at her. “I’ve had a lot of fun with you as well! I have so much to learn, after all, so there’s things you can teach me that Baekhyun and the others can’t… I mean, who knows how things will turn out? Perhaps I’ll end up staying…” she thought, propping her chin on her knees and smiling widely, her cheeks reddening. Staying here with Baekhyun would make me very happy. If we could find a way to get rid of my condition, I would be just like any other human, and we wouldn’t have to worry about anything… Grandma Lee’s voice pulled her from her fantasies.

“Yes, dear, I would enjoy that very much,” she smiled softly at her. Mi-young was glad that the old woman seemed genuinely cheered.

“Tell me more about your granddaughter!” she demanded, and while she knitted, the old woman rambled on about her granddaughter and her husband, of their lives overseas and their many successes. Mi-young wondered if she would ever have children and grandchildren if she somehow found a way to be human, and what she could share with them; the wonders of the sea and the ways of her people would be very hard to teach to human children, and the thought that her culture and her family would be barred to them. Perhaps it’s better I return to the sea. This world is still so foreign to me, she thought glumly.

“The chocolate should be cooled now, dear. Just in time- Baekhyun and the others are due back soon!” Grandma Lee announced suddenly, and Mi-young raced into the kitchen, slipping and sliding over the tile in her yarn stockings to fling open the fridge and retrieve the treats. Grandma Lee helped her arrange them into the cute little decorated plastic baggies that had come in the kit, and Mi-young painstakingly wrote each of the boy’s names on them. They each got two little chocolate balls, save for Baekhyun; the largest, a heart-shaped chocolate as large as Mi-young’s palm, she reserved for him alone. That had an accompanying cardboard box, and she wrote his name in the little bit of frosting that came in the kit, a little disappointed when it came out smudgy. “He’ll love it because you made it, dear,” Grandma Lee chuckled, and that thought made her feel better about her messy work.

“I’ll wait for them until they get here!” Mi-young grinned as she plopped onto the couch, chocolates piled on her lap as she stared at the door.

“Dear, they aren’t due until hours from now- perhaps even the wee hours of the morning,” she reminded gently.

“I don’t mind! I want to see all their faces when I give them their presents!” she resolved, unable to keep a broad smile from plastering her face. I hope they like their presents… Especially Baekhyun. I worked so hard on them, and I want them to be happy and to know that they are all so special to me! she thought giddily, and Grandma Lee settled down in her chair to wait with her.