Lying on her back, staring at the ceiling above her, in a bedroom that she had spent so many hours in, Dahyun felt more confused and lost than ever.

 They had gotten back home from the restaurant without getting an answer about the ahjumma. Chaeyoung and her thought it would be better not to ask the woman directly if she was a mermaid – if the woman wasn't a mermaid, then she would most likely think that her two favorite patrons were insane, and the whole neighborhood would be aware of it the following day. And asking Sana hadn't gotten them anywhere; she had pretended not to understand what they had asked.

 Dahyun had no clue why Sana refused to tell them whether or not the ahjumma was a mermaid. Maybe there was some sort of secret code of conduct that forbade mermaids from denouncing each other. It would be oddly specific, especially considering that it seemed mermaids weren't fond of going on land in the first place. It might have just been because Sana thought it wasn't her secret to tell. If the ahjumma was a mermaid and wanted them to know, she would tell them. While Dahyun could accept that reasoning, it did not ease her mind.

 She wanted to know.

 She had tried so hard to ignore that doubt, that question, only to have Chaeyoung ask her directly.

 The moment Dahyun had seen their first encounter, when she had brought Sana home. The thought that the old lady she had known for years could be a mermaid  too had shimmied its way through her mind, but she had dismissed it, refusing to imagine that it was possible. Dahyun did not need more mermaids in her life. Even if it could be a good thing for Sana to have someone like her on land, Dahyun didn't want more mermaids in her life. It was out of selfishness; her belief in god and everything she thought she knew had been shaken enough already.

 Dahyun felt Sana move against her side. This time, Sana wasn't sleeping half on top of her; she had purposely turned her back to her, to face the wall. Sana had something to hide. It was all Dahyun needed to be certain that the ahjumma was in fact a mermaid. A silent and grumpy confirmation sharing her bed.

 Overthinking wasn't good for her sleep schedule.

 Dahyun didn't know what time it was, but the sun was raising, and she had gotten a mere blink of sleep.

 Sana moved again.

 "Dahyun," her soft voice whispered.

 Dahyun turned to her side to look at Sana. She was staring at her. Dahyun smiled, even if frustration still boiled inside of her. No matter the real reason behind the way Sana had acted, Dahyun didn't want to blame her for it; mermaids were different, after all, so getting angry would be ridiculous and useless. Nobody was in the wrong in that situation. It was what Dahyun chose to tell herself.

 "Sorry."

 The word was mumbled, so quiet that Dahyun almost missed it. Korean, not Japanese. Dahyun couldn't help wondering when and how Sana had learned the word. She didn't remember trying to teach it to her. Had Chaeyoung taught her the word? Possible. It was possible Sana had picked it up while watching TV; she seemed to learn at an extraordinary fast pace. It was unfair that mermaids got to be attractive, strong and smart.

 "Why are you sorry?"

 Sana remained silent. All she did was move closer and drape an arm over Dahyun's waist – which would have been fine without a warm hand sneaking under her t-shirt. Oh Lord. This was how she would die, with Sana's breath against her neck and a hand on her stomach. It was too much to handle. Dahyun had never had to deal with such a situation before. Sharing a bed with another girl, yes. Cuddling in bed with a girl, yes. But cuddling in bed with a girl she was attracted to? That was a new concept that Dahyun was not trained for. If she could do it without feeling guilty, Dahyun would have prayed for Chaeyoung not to wake up. Or maybe she should pray for Sana to stop being so touchy.

 "Mermaid."

 Dahyun wasn't sure what Sana meant. It could mean just about anything; Sana could be sorry for being a mermaid, or apologizing for the nightmares or for not wanting to tell Dahyun if the ahjumma was a mermaid. But Dahyun decided to accept it without questioning. She ran a hand over Sana's back, her touch soft and gentle.

 It was easier for Dahyun to ignore that Sana had taken off her top again when she hadn't gotten a proper full hour of sleep.

 Dahyun glanced at Sana's face. The mermaid was still too sleepy to keep her eyes open, it seemed. She looked peaceful like that, all calm and quiet, with just the hint of a smile on her lips. Such pretty lips. What would it be like to kiss Sana? What would her lips feel like, pressed against her own? Staying in bed was starting to drive Dahyun crazy; she needed to get out of here. She had to stop thinking about Sana's lips.

 Without any apparent reason, Sana sat up. Dahyun forced her eyes up on the ceiling. She did not need to look at a topless Sana again. It would not do her any good. Even with her eyes glued to the ceiling, she could still see it all.

 "Beach," Sana said as she shook Dahyun's shoulder lightly.

 "What about the beach?"

 "Beach. Go. Please."

 Dahyun frowned.

 "You want to go to the beach?" Dahyun asked, finally looking at Sana again. Stare at her face, stare at her face, stare at her face.

 Sana nodded.

 Why did she want to go to the beach so early in the morning? A thought hit Dahyun like a truck. What if Sana wanted to go back to the sea? No. It couldn't be happening. Not like that. Not so soon.

 Who was she to oppose Sana?

 Dahyun sighed. She stood up and went to find them clothes. Going to the beach with a topless mermaid didn't sound like the best of ideas.

 Sana looked as tired as Dahyun felt, so helping her put on a shirt wasn't an easy task. The buttons of the flannel shirt were the real struggle, as Sana was terrible when it came to sitting still and waiting patiently for everything to be ready. At least now Sana knew how to put on pants on her own – she had even figured out zippers, and even winning the lottery wouldn't have made Dahyun more thankful than that.

 Dahyun wasn't sure how they managed to get out of the house without waking up Chaeyoung. It was some sort of miracle, really. Dahyun had slammed her toe in the post of her bed twice, Sana had bumped into the door and the vase in the corridor, and it was only thanks to some super mermaid reflexes that she had caught it before it could fall and break into pieces.

 It wasn't eight yet, and the streets were still quiet. The ahjumma's restaurant was closed, no lights coming from the windows, it was weird, but Dahyun didn't think about it too much. Sana was right there, with her, holding her hand. It was more than enough to think about.

 They made their way to the beach without any trouble. Not even a creepy man to stare at Sana for too long.

 To Dahyun's surprise, there was already someone at the beach. The ahjumma. She was at the beach, standing a few steps away from the water. The woman was the last person Dahyun would have expected to find at the beach – she had more than once told Dahyun and Chaeyoung that the sea was a scary and too powerful force that nobody should try to play with. But if she was a mermaid, and Dahyun couldn't ignore how likely it was, then it would make sense.

 "Good morning," the woman said without turning to look at them as they approached. "You're up early, girls."

 Were the ahjumma's creepy mermaid senses tingling?

 "How did you know?"

 The woman chuckled and turned around to face them. Sana's attitude changed immediately; she tilted down her head and took a step back.

 "Do you really need to ask, Dahyun-ah? Or do you want to be blind to what you know is true?"

 "You're like Sana. You're one of them, aren't you?"

 She nodded to answer Dahyun's question.

 "Come sit with me, girls. We can talk. And you can ask me questions. I suppose you have a few?"

 Dahyun hesitated to move closer to the old lady. It seemed weird to trust her without questioning her. But if she couldn't trust the ahjumma she had known for years just because she happened to be a mermaid, could she still trust Sana? It wasn't about distrusting mermaids because th