Everything seemed to be falling into place again after Haebin's job acceptance. She had normal hours at work which meant she was home before it got dark. She stopped skipping meals and instead of breaking her back carrying materials every morning, Haebin now had a small team who worked with her. She was officially an editor! 

The boys began coming over weekly and this time around, they weren't always tipsy. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were starting to put in their efforts in finding an internship, they often gave up and went drinking but nonetheless, some effort was better than no effort at all. 

Sehun was still playing the role of a house-husband and he loved it! He went grocery shopping all the time and was quite the celebrity amongst all the neighborhood ahjummas. He was sure to leave the house only when the weather was forgiving and never did he step foot out into the city when it rained outside. By now, Sehun had mastered the art of shopping at a market. He knew when all the sales would take place and where everything was placed. He dared to say that he knew the market better than the employees themselves! 

The merman adapted to land so well that his weekly swims turned into monthly swims! He could've gone into the ocean any time he wanted being that Haebin's apartment was by the sea but frankly, he didn't care for it. He learned many new dishes and loved cooking for the two of them. Seeing Haebin happy made him happy, and just like that he was content with life.

When Haebin thought she had nothing to stress or worry around, the three boys left for an "adventure" for a weekend. A weekend. Not one day but two days! Haebin didn't know where the guys were going, she had no idea! And she couldn't go to see for herself either as she was working on a magazine spread. The editor agonized that Friday night when the boys left. 

"Sehun," She peeked out from behind her laptop. "Are you sure you don't know where you're going?"

The merman shook his head and rushed over to give her a "See you soon" kiss before putting his shoes on. "The guys won't tell me," He said. "They said that you might not let me go if you know,"

Haebin's eyes widened. "Huh, something tells me that this trip can go wrong real quick..."

Sehun stood by the door. "I'll be fine, Haebin," He reassured her. "And if not, I'll come running back home if I think something isn't right."

"You promise?"

"Promise!"

They swore on it in midair. 

"I'm still worried, the weather doesn't look too good," Haebin frowned. "It says here 80% chance of rain!"

"I brought an umbrella!"

Haebin gasped. "What if they're bringing you to a bathhouse?!" 

"No way!" Sehun didn't want to believe it. "How can anyone spend 2 days in a bathhouse?"

"Right," But Haebin didn't buy it. "This is Chanyeol and Baekhyun we're talking about, remember?" 

"I'm going to see Cheong on the way there so maybe she can smack some sense into Chanbaek if they dare bring me to a bathhouse!" 

---

"Where are we going?" Sehun asked. The three of them were in a van Chanyeol had rented from his cousin and they were far away from Haebin's home.

Baekhyun sat next to the merman in the back seat and munched on his chocolate covered biscuits. "We're going to visit a bathhouse in Busan," 

He gasped. "What?!" Sehun looked around. "You know that's bad for me!"

Chanyeol shook his head in the driver's seat. "I have a good feeling about this one, I don't know why."

Sehun sat there in shock for a few minutes. It's alright, I just need to avoid the water at all costs. 

"We're here!" Chanyeol parked the van in front of a jewelry shop. "Why did we take this detour again?"

Sehun stepped out. "I have to meet a fellow mermaid," He explained. "And I have to pick something up, give me a second!" 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol watched as the merman left. "I wonder what he's up to now..."

"Oh my God, is he proposing?"

Baekhyun gasped. "Is that why he's at a jewelry shop?!" 

"And he's asking the mermaid for advice because she's a girl?!" 

"Oh my God?!" 

Meanwhile

"I heard your pleas, my child." Cheong stood in front of an array of jewelry. "This guy is a special jeweler," She grinned. "That's why I sent you to him!"

Sehun gasped. "Are you a merman too?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Minhyun, former Merman," Minhyun shook his hand. "I work with jewels now," 

Cheong grinned. "Did you finish making him that necklace? It better be good! It's for his girlfriend!"

Minhyun turned around and opened a safe. "Yes I did," He took out a velvet box. "How lucky is she!"

Cheong nodded. "Yes yes, now, do you have the most important thing of all?"

Sehun held the box in his hands and was taken aback for a second. "Wait, there's more?"

Minhyun took out another box and set it on the counter. "This one is for you,"

"Me?"

Cheong opened the box up and took out a ring. "Listen to me, Sehun," She placed the ring on top of the box. "This ring is very important and your decision to put it on will affect your life as a merman." 

"What does it do?"

"If you put this ring on, you can go anywhere you want freely and not worry about protecting your tail," Cheong said. "However, this ring will weaken and get smaller every time you go into the ocean. When this ring weakens up to the point where it falls off, that means your time as a merman is up. When this ring falls off your finger, you must return to sea and make a decision- do you want to live as a human or a merman? If you chose human, you will give up your tail and return to land as a human. If you chose merman, you won't be able to come back on land anymore, or at least you will have a difficult time doing so." 

Sehun looked at her. "Did you go through the same thing too?"

Cheong shook her head. "I had no doubts about being a human, this is for those who struggle with deciding. This may help you since you don't know when to do what..." 

Sehun reached for the ring and slipped it on his thumb without hesitation. "So this is what Chanyeol meant when he said he had a good feeling," He mumbled.

Cheong raised an eyebrow. "That was quick!"

Sehun smiled. "I love it here with Haebin, and you're right...I want to be human but I can't decide for myself, so I'll let this ring for it for me." 

Back at home

Haebin went insane checking her social media accounts every thirty minutes. She decided to let it go after a few hours and get back to work. "They're probably on the road," She mumbled. "One more time," She opened up her Instagram and cringed when she noticed that Baekhyun added a few pictures to his story. 

She pressed on it and cringed as it loaded. "Not a bath house, no bath house, please no bathh- THEY'RE AT A BATHHOUSE." Haebin stood up and went through the story. "What are they doing there? Oh my gosh, Sehun can't be there!" 

She pressed some more. "ARE THEY IN A HOT TUB?"

Haebin called Sehun's cell phone a few times before giving up. "It's probably in his locker," She mumbled. "Only Baekhyun brings his phone with him everywhere he goes," She sighed. "You three idiots are going to get it!" 

In the hot tub

"HOLY CRAP," Baekhyun exclaimed. "You are..." He gulped. "Very proportioned?"

Sehun touched the towel on his head and made sure his ears were still in place. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Chanyeol crossed his arms. "He has the appetite of a whale and has a great body, and now... His tail length is proportionate to his little friend?" He sighed. "You saved a country in your past life, didn't you?"

"Ohhh..." Sehun slung his arms around the two guys. "Chanbaek..." 

"What?"

"It's not about the size of the boat, it's about the motion in the ocean!"

"Oh my God."

The next afternoon, Sehun was on his way home with the boys when he called Haebin back. "My phone was in the locker, Haebin!" 

"I know."

"Ah don't be grouchy, I swear it's not what you think!"

"You went to a bathhouse!"

"And nothing happened to me! Absolutely nothing!" 

Haebin pressed her lips into a firm line. "What if everyone there saw?!" 

"I got something to show you, just wait until I get home." 

Sehun was ready to hear it from Haebin. He stepped through the front door and smiled at the sound of her nagging which was full of concern and worry.

"I told you not to go near water! It even rained this morning, how did you get home?" 

Sehun put his stuff down and grabbed her hand. "Come here," He led them into the bathroom and stepped into the shower.

"What are you doing?" Haebin gasped.

He turned the shower on and chuckled when she grabbed his waist. "I'm still here, silly." He stood under the water. "I'm taller than you!" He beamed. "This has never happened before, haha!" He laughed at all the old times when he used to end up on the floor every time the water .

Haebin gawked and eyed him from head to toe. "How are you doing that?!" 

He held up his thumb. "Cheong got a jeweler to make this for me, he's a special guy. This ring protects me from water with the condition that every time I return to sea for a swim, it gets thinner and weaker. When it falls off my time as a merman is up and I'll have to return home to give up my tail." He grinned. "See? Nothing happened!"

She sighed in relief. "I was so worried!" 

Sehun . "Are you still annoyed at me?"

"A little," 

"I can fix that," He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. "Guess what this is!" 

"Whoa!" 

Sehun put it around her neck. "It's my pinkest pearl, which means on the day this appeared, I was the happiest." He said. "Do you know when this peal appeared?"

"When?" She asked.

"When I kissed you in the ocean," He smiled and blushed. "I kept it for a long time and waited for this necklace to be made. The seashell is also from that day, it was so delicate and small and pretty, I thought it would look great on you." Sehun kissed her forehead. "I hope you like it, Haebin."

She held the pink pearl in between her fingers. "I've never seen a pearl so pink..." She whispered.

"It's pink because I was so happy, and I was so happy because of you." 

[a/n]: comments are much appreciated!