“The city is just a few miles away at this point.” Cheong, an experienced mermaid, held her hands up towards the sky and breathed in the crisp air of Seoul. “How do you like-“ She turned around and chuckled at the sight of the younger lad standing in front of a display at a restaurant. “You hungry?”

Sehun reached for the bubbling fish tank and touched his fingers against the glass. “Y-Yes,” He whispered. He jerked his head behind him and longingly stared at the mermaid. “How can I get this? Does this cost money too?”

Cheong nodded. “My dude, everything on this damn planet cost money!”

He sighed and shrunk away from the giant container, dejected. “Ah…I should’ve eaten more while we were swimming here, so what if my stomach cramps!”

Cheong placed a firm hold on his shoulder before flashing the enormous shell locket she held. “Child, our pearls are worth a lot here.” She grinned. “This is all you need!” She linked arms with him and pulled him towards the front door. “Let’s go!”

***

“Here you go, please enjoy your meal!”

Sehun watched as the waiter walked away before slapped his hands into a plate of sashimi. He gasped when Cheong smacked his hand. “Oh!”

“Are you insane?” Cheong scoffed in disbelief. “People will think you’re crazy if you do this,” She picked up chopsticks and demonstrated. “Watch,” She picked up a cucumber slice and nibbled at it before dabbing the corners of with a napkin. “You have to do it like this,”

Sehun furrowed his brows skeptically. “Why?” He looked at all the food. “W-Where’s the head?” He asked. He leaned over. “How come this fish is pink?”

Cheong laughed quietly. “Right, we don’t have these fish in the ocean, do we?” She pointed. “This is salmon, and this is tuna. Don’t be too alarmed when you see humans eat carp or tilapia-“

He gawked and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Sh!” Cheong cupped her lips. “They taste pretty damn good, okay?” She whispered.

Sehun gulped and fumbled with the two metal sticks, life on land seemed harder than he imagined. Should I go back? He shook his head. I swam for weeks to get here! He jabbed a piece of fish and lifted his head. “But Cheong, why-“

“Oh yeah if there is a girl who’s older than you, call her noona. And if it’s a boy, call him hyung.” She held up a finger. “Don’t ask why! It’s just how things work here,”

Sehun nodded. “Noona, why did you come onto land?” He looked around. “The sea is boring but there are a lot of things we can’t do here,”

Cheong grinned and blushed. “I’m here for my love,” She said. “I had to return to the ocean to get a few things sorted but I’m going to stay here forever now. I’m happier here and I have a handsome man who loves me. I’ve made a few friends too!” She chirped. “Think about it! You’re 23 years old, and you’ve spent your entire life swimming and passing time. Seoul is awesome!”

“How did you meet the man?”

Cheong shuddered and shook her head. “Long story,” She waved her hands. “I broke into his house- don’t do that by the way, but I broke into his house. We spent a few days together and the er tried to get me arrested!”

“The er?”

The mermaid gasped and closed her eyes before putting her palms together. “I swear I love Heo Joon Jae but back then we weren’t in love yet so whilst telling this part of the story I can call him all sorts of things!” She said quickly. “Anyway, yeah it’s just happened that we kept on living together. I’m chill with his housemates and all too, life’s great.”

“Can I come with you?”

Cheong shook her head. “Not a chance!” She wiggled her index finger in the air. “Heo Joon Jae is rich but his house doesn’t have any more rooms, and besides, I didn’t have anyone to lean on either when I got here!”

“What do I do?”

“Well, you gotta…” Cheong’s eyes darted back and forth from one end of the table to the other while she tried to make up some advice. “I hope you meet a nice person. Perhaps the same thing can happen to you!”

Sehun took a deep breath. “This is going to be complicated,” He said. “How did you come to stay here permanently?” He propped an elbow up and covered one side of his face. “Hey, does that mean your legs don’t turn into a tail anymore?”

Cheong nodded and whispered. “Yep! No more tails! Not unless I want to, I can control that now. Isn’t that awesome?” She cleared . “You gotta find someone who loves you as much as you love them, and if there is enough will, your soul will give up the mermaid life.” She explained. “I went back to the sea and said goodbye to all the fishes and my family before I came here. I can visit them from time to time but I don’t have the stamina to stay in the sea all day anymore.”

“I see…” He looked her with envy. “I wish I knew what to do,” He mumbled. “Is there anything else I shouldn’t do?”

“Well don’t get your tail wet and keep your pearls a secret- well not a secret, but don’t flaunt them everywhere,” Cheong scratched her head. “What else? Go for a swim once in a while?”

Sehun nodded. “Alright!”

“Then rehearse one more time before we part ways,” Cheong held a hand up and motioned for him to speak.

The merman cleared his throat and proudly introduced himself. “Hi. My name is Oh Sehun, I’m from Jeju Island and I’m-“

“Okay! You’re good to go!”

[a/n]: I hope you guys liked the cameo made by (Sim) Cheong! <-- Remember Cheong from Legend of the Blue Sea? Great drama!

Comments are much appreciated!