Mi-young raised her eyebrows as Kai careened into the kitchen, sliding over the tile floor on his socks with his cheeks flushed with breathlessness. It was obvious that he had just awoken, as his bright hair was sticking up in unbrushed cowlicks and he was still wearing his pajamas. Mi-young set down her spoon into her bowl of cereal, opening to inquire what the fuss was above, when he abruptly slid across the room to clamp a hand over the very confused mermaid's mouth. Her sentence transformed into a series of muffled squeaks of bewilderment.

“It's White Day!” he beamed breathlessly at her. Mi-young's pretty blue eyes narrowed, unsure quite what the elated boy was talking about. White Day? Is it some kind of major holiday? She wondered as she reached up and pulled his hand off . “It's White Day!” he crowed again as he just as quickly dashed off, running back down the hall to bang loudly on the door of his still sleeping housemates. “Get up, losers! It's White Day!” Mi-young, hanging open in shock, just stared at the place where he had disappeared. He ran off so fast, I swear, there was a temporary image of him!

By the time the mermaid finished her breakfast, Kai had dragged the boys out of bed (some of them literally) and they were in various stages of getting dressed as they mulled about in the hallway. Mi-young walked through with raised eyebrows, gasping as she bumped into a shirtless Chen who was hopping around on one foot attempting to pull on a shoe. Mostly unscathed, the mermaid ducked into Baekhyun's bedroom intent on getting dressed herself, but stopped short in the doorway, her cheeks turning a vibrant shade of pink.

“Morning, Mi-young,” Baekhyun smiled at her as he stood at the end of the bed, a tee-shirt in his hands as he regarded her with a mixture of happiness and apprehension. It seemed the mermaid had stumbled in on him getting dressed himself.

“I’ll, um, just go wait outside,” she stammered, pointing behind her at the empty doorway and moving to turn on her heel. She stiffened as he shook his head and pulled the shirt on, and she wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

“No, it's fine. I’m finished,” he responded and grabbed his tennis shoes off the floor to cross the room. Mi-young, shocked, was still standing stupidly in the middle of the doorway, her sea-blue eyes too busy analyzing every fiber of the carpet to keep her whirling mind off the hopelessly attractive man. “Um, Mi-young? Excuse me,” Baekhyun sighed, and she gasped as he abruptly grabbed her by the waist and forcibly moved her. She looked up at him, and they both froze at the same time, their eyes caught in some sort of trance. Mi-young was painfully aware of his hands still resting against her waist, and she bit down on her lip to keep from begging him to touch her, all of her. There is nothing between him and you, Mi-young. You have to forget about those feelings, she told herself firmly as she reached down and grabbed him by the wrists to pry his hands off, as sad as it made her feel. “Ah. Sorry,” he flushed as he seemingly came back to reality. “I'll, uh, go wait in there,” he added with an awkward cough and motioned with his thumb to the hallway, but he lingered there for a few seconds, just gazing at her. He then cleared his throat and turned to briskly walk down the hall, not uttering another word.

“Okay,” she murmured even though he was gone, gazing at the place where he had just been. Then, with a heavy sigh, she ripped her gaze from the empty doorway and busied herself with getting dressed, her heart heavy. You just have to forget…

Mi-young opted for a sundress and some flats for that day. Whatever this mysterious “White Day" was, obviously it was something that involved going out on town, and she supposed that it was a chance to look nice for once. She strolled out of the room, enjoying the feeling of the fabric swishing about her bare legs. This is the sundress that Baekhyun picked out for me, she recalled as she pushed a hair band into her wavy black locks. When she walked out of the hallway there was a chorus of whistles and laughs, making her turn faintly pink.

“Ooh! Look at Mi-young!” Chen crowed as he gawked at her, a stupid smile on his face. “All dressed up, aren't we?” Bashfully, the mermaid smiled down at her feet and swished the dress, blushing darker.

“Well… This ‘White Day' seems pretty important, so I thought I would dress the part!” she giggled as she peeked up through her long, thick lashes. Her smile faded slightly when her eyes caught Baekhyun's; he was staring at her open-mouthed, as if he was in awe. When he noticed that she was looking, he hastily shut his mouth and turned his head, sliding his hands in his pockets and attempting to look nonchalant. I’m making it hard for him, she realized with a small frown. Still, there was nothing she could do; she couldn’t think of a valid reason to change her outfit for the day. She decided to deal with the matter at hand. “So, what is White Day? Is it a holiday?”

“Oh, yes. A very special holiday,” Kai grinned as he suddenly appeared at her side to throw his arm around her shoulder. “You see, Mi-young, today we celebrate you.”

“Me?” she gasped. A hand flew to her heart as she stared at him in complete and utter confusion. How can that be? The human world doesn’t know me. How can they possibly have a holiday dedicated to me? Wouldn’t it be called “Mi-young Day"? She thought wildly, completely flabbergasted.

“Oh, great, you’ve confused her,” Luhan sighed and leaned over the back of the couch to wave a hand in dismissal. “What he means, Mi-young, is that today is a day where people celebrate people they care about. Do you remember Valentine's Day?” he asked her. She took a minute, and then a smile split her face as she recalled the fun experience of making chocolate and giving it to her wonderful friends. She nodded eagerly. “It's like that, but on this day, the boys treat the ladies who gave them chocolate. It's like a holiday to express our gratitude to you,” he explained simply. Thanks to his exposition, all the puzzle pieces whirling around in the mermaid's head finally clicked into place.

“Oh! I understand now!” she grinned. Oh, how exciting! The boys are going to treat me to something! I wonder what? She gushed in excitement, hardly able to contain herself. Mi-young never missed an opportunity to venture into the human world, but since the boys were treating her, it was guaranteed to be a new adventure. “Where are we going?” she demanded, her sea-blue eyes sparkling with pure elation as she hastily looked from one idol to the next, hoping one of them would yield to her childish whim. “Oh, please tell me! I can't stand it!” she begged.

“No, no, no. You’ll have to wait until we get there,” D.O. smirked at her, and she stomped her foot in frustration and resorted to the age-old “puppy dog eyes.” Not that she had known what they were called before she arrived in the land above the ways, but regardless of the name it still had the same effect. Her eyes going wide as she looked pleadingly at Kai, she poked out her bottom lip slightly.

“Oh, Kai, won't you please tell me?” she murmured. He looked down at her in complete shock, then swallowed loudly and pulled at the collar of his shirt as he laughed uncomfortably. Mi-young pressed up against him, fluttering her lashes. The boy actually whimpered and bit down on his knuckles, visibly sweating as he fought against the urge to divulge all to the beautiful girl.

“Ah! You temptress! Begone!” he wailed and jumped away from her to leap over the couch and bury his face into the throw pillows lest he yield to the mermaid's wiles. She huffed and crossed her arms, disappointed that her trick didn’t work on the weakest link. Should I start singing? She wondered, and then blushed as someone abruptly put a hand on top of her head.

“Now who told you that you can start using your powers for evil?” Baekhyun smirked down at her as he stood beside her with one hand on her hip. Any attempts to weasel their destination out of the idols immediately died in as she looked up at him. Let your feelings die, she told herself firmly. Even if you can't be together, Baekhyun is still your friend, right?

“I just can't stand the suspense,” she responded with a coy smile, shoving every ounce of pain and frustration to the very back of her mind. She found that she did feel happy, and it almost felt like the way it was before the first kiss, when she and Baekhyun were close and the idea of romantic attraction was far from her mind. Yes. This is the way it should be. This is the way I want to leave it, she thought with a smile.

“Well, you’ll never find out if we don't get going. Pack it up, guys, we're rolling out of here!” he shouted and clapped his hands together, jolting the gang of boys into motion. They hurriedly bustled out to the van, clambering inside to set off to the mystery destination. As Mi-young waited for the boys to resolve the squabble over whose lap the mermaid would be seated on for the ride, she wondered about the expression that had passed over Baekhyun's face for a fraction of a second as he turned away from her.

Was that relief? Or… Disappointment?

When they piled out of the car, Mi-young's eyes widened as she gazed up at a magnificent structure sprawling out before them.

“Wow! It's almost as big as the mall!” she gawked, putting a hand over her brow as she attempted to block the glare of the sun in order to get a better look at the giant building. It was made of pure white stone, with gigantic glass windows and doors marking its front entrance. The smooth glass reflected the blazing white light of the sun streaming down from the sky, preventing the excited mermaid from peering in. It must have been popular, because people were streaming in and out of the gigantic building, some of them toting balloons and stuffed animals. Mi-young breathed in deeply, completely overtaken by pure excitement as she wondered what magical place the young boys had brought her to. She ran ahead when they gave her permission, dashing up to the glass doors and throwing them wide to scamper inside.

The interior of the building was even more impressive than the exterior. The ceiling of the lobby was domed, supported by massive metal beams far above the mermaid's head. It was painted a rich blue, and on one wall a mural of undersea life was painted in astounding color and detail. Mi-young ran over to it, having never seen such a wondrous thing, and ran her hand over the wall, expecting the depictions of dolphins and tropical fish to be popping out of the plaster. “It's flat!” she gasped.

“It's a painting, Mi-young,” Baekhyun mused as he stopped beside her, his hands slid into his jeans pockets. “It's like my drawings, but with a different material and in color,” he explained. “It's a form of art up here. Do mermaids have anything like that?”

“Oh, yes! We create murals out of bits of glass and seashells. They're especially prominent in the palace,” she explained matter-of-factly. “They look a lot like those big buildings of worship I’ve seen on the television- churches, I think they’re called?”

“Whoa. Mi-young, you have royalty?” Sehun smirked at her. The rest of the boys had gathered around to examine the painting that had captured the mermaid's attention. The question made her bite her lip, and she turned back to the painting, pondering how to respond.

“Actually… I am royalty,” she admitted quietly. The twelve boys gasped and a few actually grabbed onto one another as they stumbled back, as if the girl's revelation had been a physical blow. “My mother is the queen of Atlantis, the largest settlement of merpeople in the entire world. Humans have legends about it- a supposed city that sank deep into the sea after a cataclysmic event. It's not far from the truth. It was actually built on the back of a gigantic sea monster-a turtle, in fact, who is in almost constant motion. It can live decades without going up for air. It has been centuries since the turtle surfaced anywhere close to a human settlement, largely because its will is bent by the will of the queen, who has severed all ties with the human race. That is how we stay hidden,” she explained. Staring up at the brilliant painting of a green sea turtle featured in the mural, Mi-young was amazed how naturally the history of her people had come back to her. Perhaps it was being face-to-face with an effigy of her home that had brought the memories suddenly flooding back to her. She glanced over her shoulder to see that the boys were gawking at her in pure shock.

“Mi-young, you’re a princess?” Tao gasped as he held tightly onto D.O., pale and looking as if he was about to fall over.

“Atlantis is real?” Chanyeol gawked. Baekhyun was standing next to him with nearly his entire fist in his mouth, nearly hyperventilating at the mention of the mythical ocean city.

“There are giant sea turtles?” Lay exclaimed, waving his arms frantically as he tried to comprehend a massive creature on which a city could be built upon.

“Why didn’t you say this stuff earlier?” Suho cried and pulled at his hair. She flushed slightly and twirled a strand of her thick hair around her finger, slightly uncomfortable.

“It never really came up in conversation, you know? Besides, I… I kind of forgot about it,” she murmured sadly. “I’ve been away from home so long that sometimes… Things are fuzzy in my head. Sometimes it's hard to remember what the palace looks like, or what it's like being in the market, or… Even what my brothers look like. It's only been about two and a half months, but… In a world so different, it seems like a lifetime,” she sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. If I stay up here much longer… Will I forget completely? It was a frightening prospect. Perhaps Baekhyun and I keeping our distance from each other is for the best. It will make it much easier when I have to go…

Seemingly picking up on the girl's melancholy, the boys slowly got ahold of themselves and looked at one another with matching worried expressions.

“Mi-young,” Baekhyun sighed, and she looked up at him pitifully as he walked over and rubbed her arms gently. “Don't be sad. You haven't really forgotten. You’ve just had so many other things to think about that it's just been at the back of your mind,” he reassured her gently, and the confidence in his tone made the corners of curl upward into a tiny smile. “This is probably the perfect place for you to be able to reconnect with your memories.”

“What is this place?” she asked as she glanced around. The lobby gave her no clue as to what the giant building could offer.

“It's an aquarium, Mi-young,” Xiumin explained. “Sea creatures from all over the world are brought here and housed in gigantic tanks.”

“Oh… So this is the place I would end up if I were ever discovered,” she frowned, a sour taste in .

“Yes, but you see, it's good for the animals. This place is a research and rehabilitation facility. All the animals here were brought her because they were sick and need help, or couldn’t survive in the wild, or were born in captivity and can never be released,” Baekhyun added hastily, blushing slightly as he realized that bringing a homesick mermaid to an aquarium might not have been the best idea. “I know how sad it makes you to not be able to go to the ocean yet, so, we thought it would cheer you up a little if we brought the ocean to you,” he explained sheepishly.

They… They did this to cheer me up, she realized, her heart swelling with gratitude. Baekhyun… I bet this was all his idea, she thought as she glanced up at him, biting down on her lip as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. He was looking down at her softly, with that wonderful smile that made her feel safe and secure and warm.

“All right. I want to see this aquarium!” she nodded, eager to enjoy the gift the boys had so graciously given her. “If you guys want, I can tell you all about my home. I’ve learned so much about your world, so it's only fair you get to learn about mine!” she smiled. Now that she thought about it, she was excited to share details about her home with her dear friends.

“Okay! Let's go see some fish!” Suho hooted and pumped the air as he and the boys made their way toward the front desk. Baekhyun hung back with Mi-young, who was gazing thoughtfully up at the painting.

“I really have to go soon,” she murmured. She hadn’t realized that the time would be soon upon them. Perhaps in her own folly she had thought she could stay above the waves forever.

“Yes. You do,” Baekhyun sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I wonder if either of us will be ready for that.” When she looked at him, he was wearing the saddest expression she had ever seen. Still gazing up at him, she reached out and grabbed his hand, wrapping them tightly in her own.

“Baekhyun…” she whispered, but all the words she wanted to stay just stuck in in an uncomfortable lump. He smirked slightly and looked down at her, reaching up with his free hand to poke her in the forehead.

“Come on. Let's enjoy your day, okay?” he told her softly, pulling his hand from her own and walking over to join his housemates at the counter. As she felt the warmth die from her hands and watched his broad, strong back as he left her, Mi-young had never felt more lonely.