Mi-young exhaled deeply as she drifted into the waking world, and her eyelashes fluttered as her eyes struggled to adjust to the sharp knives that were the rays of sunlight streaming in through the window. She rubbed her eyes as she pushed herself up on an elbow, shaking her head slightly to toss her beautiful waves of hair behind her shoulders. She smacked her lips as she looked around through lidded eyes, content with a good night's sleep. Then, with a loud, wheedling noise, she stretched her arms above her head and squeezed her eyes shut, working out her muscles stiff from sleep. Then, with a flourish, she threw the comforter off of herself and slipped out of the bed, walking barefoot across the carpet to begin rummaging around in the drawers of Baekhyun's dresser to retrieve her outfit for the day.

I’m gonna confront Baekhyun today and tell him that I’m staying! She told herself firmly as she scampered off into the bathroom to change and go about her morning routine. When she strolled back out, her black locks had been tamed into uniform, luscious cascades, and her eyes had gone from sleepy and unfocused to bright and alert. Confident, she did even bother to steel her nerves before marching out of the bedroom and down the hall to the living room, where she was sure to find the man she meant to confess her feelings to.

Instead, she was bitterly disappointed.

“Sorry, Mi-young. Baekhyun skipped out,” Chanyeol smiled apologetically at her from the couch, munching on a piece of buttered toast. “I tried to get him to stay, but he wouldn't have it.” Mi-young pursed her lips in annoyance, but to be honest, it wasn't all that surprising; Luhan had warned her the previous day that Baekhyun would likely avoid her. Well, I suppose I’ll have to go to him! She decided before walking purposefully into the kitchen to pour herself a bowl of cereal. She couldn't work on an empty stomach, after all. As she munched on the oats, she tried to plan out what she was going to say to the skittish boy.

Baekhyun! I’m going to stay here forever! No, he'll just argue me down… Maybe I could tell him that I love him, again? We've kissed, so obviously, he must feel something for me… Does he love me? Could I have deeper feelings than he does? Maybe that’s what's scaring him off… Maybe I should lead with something simple, like I just prefer it up here… And I can tell him that I’ll be really careful about transforming in public! … Ugh, but I promised that already, and I’ve done a pretty poor job of that. Planning out an argument is hard, she thought, a frown slowly growing on her face as she tried to construct the conversation in her head. In the end, she decided that she would just have to say what comes to her in the moment. She was a bit more apprehensive than before as she rose from the table and set her empty bowl in the sink. By this time, the boys had all migrated into the living room. Only half of the household was there; presumably, the rest were at school, where Baekhyun was also. She walked out into the room, her cheeks slightly pink as hesitation slowly began to eat away at her determination.

“Can someone please take me to Baekhyun?” she announced, and stiffened when half a dozen heads swiveled to stare at her with wide eyes. She flushed slightly, but regardless of the outcome of the conversation, she at least had to talk to him. She stood firmly in the entryway of the kitchen, kneading at the hem of her shirt, as she quietly waited for one of the boys to volunteer. Despite her conviction, it seemed that they were unsure of the proper path to take, and she began to lose heart. Do they think I should go back, too? She fretted. Then, Chanyeol shoved the remaining bites of toast in his mouth and hopped to his fit.

“All right! Lesh go!” With a mouth full of buttered bread, it was almost impossible to understand him. The tall boy walked to the front door in only three strides and began tugging on his shoes, while Mi-young's happy spark returned for the moment.

“Thank you, Chanyeol!” she beamed as she slipped on her own shoes and hurried after him as he walked out to the car. She knew from her experience with the boys that one of them drove the van to deliver those who had school that day to the college, and then drove it back so those that stayed home could have a means of transportation. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled herself in as Chanyeol slid into the driver's side and started the engine. Mi-young, having only been in the car a few times, still found the piece of machinery quite impressive and wondered how exactly it worked, but there were more pressing matters on her mind. The doubt was beginning to creep in, and she fidgeted anxiously as Chanyeol silently backed out of the driveway and pulled out onto the road.

What if Baekhyun runs away, or worse, gets angry at me? What if I can’t convince him to let me stay? Her stomach was a tight knot as she stressed incessantly, and was creating wrinkles at the base of her shirt from how frantically she twisted it with her hands. After a few minutes of silently stressing, Chanyeol suddenly reached across the center console to grab her hand and reassuringly squeeze it. She looked up with a slight gasp to find him smiling at her, watching her through his peripheral vision.

“Don’t worry, Mi-young. At the very least, I’ll make sure that Baekhyun talks to you,” he reassured her before returning his attention back to the road. She relaxed slightly, her tense shoulders slumping as she breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed her sweaty palms against the denim fabric of her jeans to get rid of the excess moisture. The tall man seemed quite relaxed himself, but as she watched him, she could see a tension in his posture and a hardness in his amiable expression that mildly concerned her.

“Chanyeol? Do you and the other boys think that I should go home, too?” Though Luhan had been quite accepting of her decision, she wondered if it had simply been a ploy to ease the mermaid’s mind rather than the truth. The corner of Chanyeol's mouth twitched lightly as she posed the question, and he did not take his eyes off the road this time, barring her from analyze the emotions within them. He hesitated for an answer, perhaps attempting to concoct some lie or feign understanding, all while wrestling with his consciousness; after a few moments of tense silence, he suddenly sighed and flipped on his blinker, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the route was clear before shifting lanes.

“It's a messy situation,” he responded finally when he looked back, still staring intently out of the windshield instead of facing her. “We love you, Mi-young, you know that, and we would love nothing more to have you stay with us if it makes you happy.”

“But…?”

“But,” he confirmed with a slightly sad smirk, “it is an undeniable truth that you don't belong up here, Mi-young.” His voice was soft and full of regret, but also with a tone of finality that a father would take with his daughter. “Baekhyun is thinking only about you. He wants more than anything for you to be safe, and we can't find fault with that.” As he told her that, the mermaid suddenly felt the cold rush of shame flood through her body, and she hung her head to stare at her lap as she dug her fingers into her thighs to keep him from seeing her trembling hands.

Of course. Of course he's thinking of me… And I’ve only been thinking of myself. How could I be so selfish? Her vision became slightly hazy as tears formed in her eyes. I’m so ashamed… Baekhyun was obviously going through emotional Hell, but she had only been concerned with her own emotional turmoil. Suddenly, the idea of trying to convince him to allow her to stay felt almost sickening, and she grabbed onto Chanyeol's arm to look up at him in something close to alarm.

“I can't. Take me home, Chanyeol!” I’m so stupid. I’m so, so stupid and so selfish! What is wrong with me? Despite her obvious distress, the boy ignored her pleas and continued to drive down the road with an almost amused smile on his face. “Chanyeol? What are you doing? Take me home!” she demanded once more, beginning to grow angry with him. Obviously he agreed to drive her to the college to have this conversation with her and show her the error of her ways, so why wasn’t he obliging her and turning around like he ought to? Her eyes widened in shock as he suddenly began to laugh, booming snorts of laughter that made his entire body shake and his head flop back as he bellowed.

“Oh, Mi-young, you're so silly,” he chuckled after the raucous fit had died down, and for the first time he turned his head to smile gently at her. “I didn’t mean that we think you're wrong. I just wanted you to see Baekhyun's point of view, too, so you can approach this with the whole picture. Ultimately, we'll support his decision, but try your best to convince him to stop being a moody idiot, yeah?” He pulled a hand off the steering wheel to affectionately ruffle her hair, while she just stared at him, dumb-founded.

“… You're a jerk,” she pouted when she finally regained her sense, and she puffed out her cheeks defiantly as she glared up at him. “You really intended to make me cry, didn't you?”

“Of course not!” he gasped, affronted, and dramatically put a hand over his heart as if she had deeply wounded him. His reaction pulled a laugh out of her. Whatever his intention had been, he had made her feel better. By the time he pulled in to the huge parking lot filled with various makes, models, and colors of cars, her confidence had returned. She hopped out of the van and followed him obediently, and though she tried to keep focused, she found her mind wandering as she was met with the new scene.

As they walked along the cleanly paved and swept sidewalks, gigantic buildings loomed around them, of various construction materials and designs. It was like it was a city within a city, a hodge-podge of mismatched buildings, but yet it all seemed to fit together, like a puzzle with crooked pieces. Young people streamed along the sidewalk with them, equipped with book bags laden with textbooks and binders and school supplies, and chatting amiably with each other. Mi-young caught snatches of the conversations, and was fascinated by the entirely new world that she was skimming the surface of. Merpeople didn't have “schools,” and the concept of a center of learning where people of all backgrounds gathered to acquire knowledge was astounding. Merpeople were taught the necessities of life by their parents; as a royal, Mi-young received a more diverse education from royal tutors, but it still paled in comparison to the sheer amount of learning available to humans. As her mind drank in the marvel, she was barely aware of where Chanyeol was leading her until he tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

They had arrived at a pavilion of some sort, with radiating pathways leading out to the rest of the campus; in the center of the paved stone construct was a massive fountain sprouting water in beautiful, impressive arcs. Mi-young thought it was magnificent, and her sea-blue eyes widened with wonder as she watched the crystal-clear water stream through the air only to drop down into the pool below, where silver and bronze coins glittered from the concrete bottom. She was so entranced that she didn't even hear what Chanyeol said, and her attention only returned when he once again tapped her on the shoulder.

“Eh?” she blinked as she whipped about to face him. He was grinning in amusement, obviously at her insatiable curiosity and appreciation of human constructs, but thankfully he didn't about it.

“Baekhyun is in that building over there,” he told her, pointing to an impressive three-story building composed of smooth grey stone with rows of darkened glass windows. “I’ll go fetch him, so he isn't spooked seeing you and tries to jump out a window or something. You stay right here, understand?” he ordered her with a raised eyebrow, as if doubting her promise to abstain with mischief. To assure him of her fortitude, she plopped down on the concrete edge of the fountain, beaming brightly.

“I promise, I’ll sit right here!” she assured him. Though she itched to explore the college and see the new sights, she had to illustrate that she could handle herself, which would help her case to remain in the human world. Chanyeol stared at her levelly for a moment before nodding and turning about, marching purposefully toward the building where Baekhyun was supposedly having class. Mi-young obediently remained sitting on the fountain, swinging her legs back and forth as her head swiveled about analyzing the various people. Her eyes traced their steps, drinking in their diverse clothes and appearances and behaviors. It was amazing to Mi-young how much like merpeople humans were; really, the only major difference was the fact that they had legs rather than tails, and lacked magical abilities. As she people-watched, her eyes fell upon a beautiful girl, with streaming blonde hair and perfect skin. Wow! She's so pretty! Because Mi-young had been spending so much time with boys, she hadn't had much contact with human females, and hadn't had much experience analyzing their kind. She had always wondered if they differed from human males in some way. I know! I’ll call out to her!

“Hello!” she called cheerfully, lifting her hand up on a wave and a beaming smile to the pretty young woman. She looked over at Mi-young, a confused and irritated expression on her face, while the mermaid continued to beam innocently. After a moment of staring at her, the woman mumbled something to her friends before stomping over to the hapless mermaid.

“Do I know you?” she asked haughtily, but Mi-young was quite oblivious to her harsh tone.

“No! My name is Mi-young. I thought you were so pretty, and I just wanted to tell you!” she answered jovially. Surely, women loved getting compliments, right? Complimenting mermaids as a greeting was quite commonplace, and had led to the idea in human lore that mermaids were vain and concerned only with their appearances; really, it was quite a foolish notion. Mermaids simply loved to compliment others. Mi-young stared up at her with a bright smile and even brighter blue eyes, patiently awaiting the woman's response. Though she had expected the woman to be pleased, the girl gasped in disgust and recoiled visibly.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You dyke!” she shrieked, and before Mi-young could even ask what that was, the young woman roughly shoved her in the shoulders with both hands. Mi-young didn't even have time to form an expression of shock on her face before the violent action disrupted her balance and set her splashing into the clear water of the fountain, her momentum carrying her all the way in. Her head popped up above the surface of the water, her black hair slicked to her head, and to her horror she found that a crowd had gathered already.

“No… No, no, no, no!” she screamed in panic, already feeling the humming in her legs. She tried to scramble out of the fountain, desperate to get anywhere, but the coins on the concrete flooring made it slippery. She shrieked as her feet gave out from under her, and she roughly fell back into the fountain, scraping her elbows against the rough bottom. The students were laughing wildly, with their cell phones out obviously filming, while the angry female was screaming angrily and pointing at her while obviously insulting her. Mi-young was barely aware of it, though; she was too busy hyperventilating with fear as her human legs began to glow and fuse together. She began to cry bitterly, helpless as she underwent her transformation, and the crowd fell silent as they watched in shock. With a burst of light, Mi-young's glittering, scaling tail formed in the water, glistening beautifully in the sun as the mermaid wept.

It's over! It's all over! I’ve been seen!