DO and Jiwon broke apart and joined him in his spot. She sat in between them. “Miahn…”

“Whatever!” he replied, crossing both arms on his chest. “Now tell us what’s going on.”

“Fine!” she retorted and lowered her tone to a whisper. “Mr. Gumpy pants…”

Sehun’s slitting eyes flew to her like daggers. “I heard that!”

“Bleh!” she retaliated.

DO merely chuckled at them. ‘Aigoo~ These two…’

Sehun froze when Jiwon rested her head on his shoulder. “Anyway…” she breathed. “…Lay oppa and the others are in deep sleep. They’re under a spell.”

“Wait…” DO spoked. “What spell? Spell like, Harry Potter spell? Witch Spell? Magic spell?”

“Mhmmm!” she replied, drawing circles on Sehun’s arms as she prepared for a revelation. ‘Here goes nothing. Please don’t freak out. Please don’t freak out.’ “…and uhmmm… Eunjung and Hyomin are mermaids.”

A moment of silence creeped in. DO and Sehun remained seated not knowing how to react. Probably because of Chen’s stories or them being superhumans made it easier for them to understand.

Sehun coughed. “O-Okay…But when and how are they going to wake up? And why it didn't work for us?”

Jiwon straightened up. “I have some ideas but I can't tell right now.”

“Woah! Hold up!” DO raised his hands. “How did you know all of these things anyway? Do you know Eunjung and Hyomin?”

“Y-Yes…” she faked a smile.

At that point, Jiwon felt an anchor weighing her chest down. The reality of exposing herself to the most precious people in her life started to sink in. She could end up losing them in a split second.

DO and Sehun shifted to face her, putting the spotlight on her. “I…uhmmm…know them…coz…” she paused, taking a deep breath. “…I’m a…m-mermaid.”

Jiwon closed her eyes to refuse the look on their faces. She was too scared of rejection. There’s something inside her that is too heavy and cramped. It’s hard to breathe, and she could throw up the dinner she had.

She felt a thumb and finger holding her chin up. “Open your eyes, Jiwon.” DO said, also tucking strands of hair behind her ear. “You have nothing to worry. It’s okay.”

Sehun saw how scared she was that he her back in comfort. “He’s right. We’re on the same boat, remember?”

Jiwon looked at them and saw their genuine smiles. “But I’m the one with a fish tail.”

Both boys hugged her. “We will always be friends. You will always be part of the family.” DO affirmed.

Jiwon’s emotional defences dropped to the lowest point in her existence. After all those hardships of living a double life finally overpowered her. How her family had to live from one city to another. How she had to spend years of living in the ocean. How her father struggled to be with her mother.

She stood and ran out. “I’ll just get something to eat.”

Sehun found her in the kitchen, sitting on the floor, leaning her back against fridge. He can hear her sobs, her sniffles. She had her head down between her knees that he had to raise it up. “Hey…Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m sorry…” she cried. “I’m not supposed to cry. Not now. Miahnae…”

“It’s okay. Come here.” Sehun shifted beside her. He placed an arm around her shoulder, letting her break down in his chest. “You have us, Jiwon. You have me.” he said.

She gripped his shirt, holding onto him so tight. “It’s so hard, Sehun. I’ve survived a lot of things, but I don’t think I can survive losing any of you.” The thought alone broke her soul. She almost lost her family once from Hyomin’s witch of a mother and going through that phase again could kill her. “I just can’t.”

Sehun held her face, lifting it up. His heart broke just by looking at her. Pitiful, tired, and shattered. The once beautiful face became blank. “Please don’t cry. It hurts seeing you this way.”

“M-Miahn…” she croaked, almost losing her voice.

Their faces were too close that he could feel her breathe and it somehow became a relief to him. ‘Stay with me, Jiwon. Just keep breathing.’ He wiped her tears with his thumb, keeping a steady stare into her. Those watery eyes, blushing cheeks, pink lips. He never held her this close. “I…l-love you.”

The words took slowly to process that a wave of tears fell as she blinked. “Se…hun?”

“People fall in love with the most perfect aspects of another person. I fell in love with how much you pester me. How annoying you were.” He smiled, looking straight at her. “I’m falling in love with you, Jiwon. I never knew that hating you was my way of loving you.”

She was left shocked with the way Sehun talked. He has that deep voice that send shivers. Last thing she knew, he tilted his head, his eyes set on her lips. “I love you…” he whispered, her eyes started to flutter.

Sehun felt so soft, damp, and sweet. His hands on her face were so warm, she felt light and floating.

Even at her worst and darkest day in the planet, Jiwon is reminded that she’s never alone with only a kiss.