Wendy stood on her toes, looking at the top of the aluminum shelf used to keep the important files.

Wendy had just finished her class when she got a message from the broadcasting team group chat about the forgotten task of the Christmas event on the mid of December, right before the Christmas break.

They were supposed to give the proposal to the event's committee about the performance and the special project the broadcasting team would make so then the committee could adjust it to their plan.

Wendy wasn't supposed to do the task as she wasn't part of the administrative members and was just a rookie DJ.

All the other members, especially those in the final years, were busy because of the exam preparation and the assignments. The other new members, the same years as Wendy seemed to ignore the message as no one replied, although they had read it.

Wendy took a short reply, saying that she would be the one who sent the proposal.

Well, how bad would it be to send something to somebody?

Wendy didn't know how the file could go on top of the shelf, but she had no time to wonder about it as she was struggling to see the top of the shelf.

Find it would be useless to depend on her notably short leg, Wendy pulled the armchair and stepped on it.

Wendy looked at the top shelf and cringed at the amount of dust on the shelf and how many hidden treasures there.

She took one of the file with a damaged cover's folder, looked at the content, and was shocked, knowing that it was made 10 years ago.

"It explained why they always lost their own things," Wendy murmured and returned the folder.

She took a brief peek at every folder, trying to find the one she needed.

On top of every pile's folder on the very back of the shelf, she found the one she needed.

Wendy blew the folder, letting the dust flow so the file might look decent enough to be sent.

And before she moved down from the armchair, she got another message.

"Huh?" Wendy's brow furrowed, looking confused at the message she got.

Wendy bit her tongue and tilted her head as she held the folder by her arms, letting her finger be free to type.

Wendy stared at her screen after she replied to the message, looking attentively at the grey check to be blue.

It went blue not long after, but the reply took her to another puzzled look.

"What the heck was it?!" Wendy hissed as her eyes bugged out in total bewilderment.

Wendy jumped down from her chair and moved the chair back to its position. She didn't forget to wipe the dust on the chair because of her shoe sole with the tissue.

She walked out of the broadcasting club studio with her mind full of the message she had just gotten.

"Main building, second floor, mermaid sign," Wendy murmured, the last message content as if it was a spell.

"Main building, second floor, mermaid--" Wendy stopped right next to the building stairs. Her hand held the steel piles as she sighed and shut her eyes tight.

"What the heck with the mermaid sign?!"

Wendy looked at her wristwatch, and groaned as she noticed the times, "It has been two hours, and I got nothing but sweat!"

Wendy stood in front of the the vending machine, next to the university archive's room. She took several won from her pocket, and chose a drink to ease the tiredness away.

Wendy looked around and found one empty bench not too far from her, dragged her feet forcefully, Wendy sat on the bench.

She drank the coke, and looked at the message again.

"That was your last hint and no other question allowed—do they really expect me to find the 'what the hell' mermaid sign by myself"

Wendy sighed and held her head, letting the tensed head rest for a while on her palms.

Wendy didn't know that her second semester as a music production student would be filled with nonsense like the mermaid sign.

She thought sending a file won't be hard because all she had to do was go to the committee office and give the file to them. She never knew it required her to find the office with ridiculous directions and unclear explanations.

Wendy's phone vibrated, making the tired girl startled.

It was a call from Hyunjung, or maybe more known as Seola, the art department student who was also the captain for radio station, one of the three station owned by the broadcasting club.

Seola was Wendy's leader, although they were the same age.

Wendy didn't know how she could get the title that fast.

But from the information she got from the other broadcasting members, she guessed that Seola got the position because she was the former broadcasting leader in her high school year.

Wendy held her phone tightly, praying thanks to her phone, feeling release that she might find help to get away from her desperation.

"Hyunjung, please help me," Wendy said, the tone of her voice sounding like a puppy whining.

"Hey, what’s wrong?"

"I meant to send the proposal for the Christmas event but the committee sent me a message telling me to find the mermaid sign on the wall if I want to find their office. How the heck could I find it?!"

Seola's laugh echoed throughout the call, "Are you seriously taking it as it is?"

"What do you mean?"

"That's a joke, Seungwan. All the students knew where was the committee room, so they never looked for the room by the message."

"How could I know that?! I wouldn't have walked around this building for two hours like a stupid person had I known it was a joke."

"You supposed to know that, it was the first room that introduced to the all freshman on the university tour"

Wendy frowned and said, "But that's the council room."

"Who do you think the committee of the event if it's not the councile?"

"Right, you're right--" Wendy murmured, "Yah Son Seung-wan, why don't you think of that!" Wendy scowled as she hit her head.

Seola laughed before saying, "It's alright. I will send you the location just in case you forgot about it."

“Thank you, Hyunjung”

"Then I'll turn it off, bye."

"Wait!" Wendy said, "You haven't told me why you called."

"It's nothing, I was at the club but none in here, so I wondered why you didn't go here—Now I know why-- so yeah."

Wendy giggled, "Right, it must be lonely to be at the club by yourself. I will be there after I send the file, okay?"

"I know—just please be hurry."

"Aye, Captain!'

Wendy heard the chuckles before it went into silence.

Wendy got the message of the location from Hyun Jung not long after that. She took a glance at the wristwatch in her hand,

"I must be hurry."

The council office was located near the Business Department dean's office, on the second floor of the main building, right on the south side of the campus.

Wendy entered the room and found it was empty with piles of paper on the table and two whiteboards full of things written on them.

"Hello," Wendy said unsurely, hesitant to walk further into the room.

"Is anybody here?" Wendy's voice echoed in the empty room. The breezes from the air conditioner chilled Wendy as the room felt quiet and scary.

Wendy heard the door close behind her.

Wendy felt urged to run away when the gentle walking sound was heard from her back.

"Who are—"

"Argh!" Wendy screamed out loud and jumped away from her position. She was thrilled by the light brushing her shoulder and the soft, ladylike tone from behind.

"Mommy, please help me and spare me! Don't kill me. I haven't married and met my prince."

Wendy closed her eyes tightly and pressed her hands together, rubbing them in and asking for help.

The loud laughs caught Wendy from her hopeless prayer and made her open her eyes slowly.

Wendy saw her, the forcing drink, Irene, in front of her with her hands on her stomach.

"Yah! You really are something," Irene said in between her laugh. Her words sounded unclear as they got cut by laughter.

"I—Irene? Why are you here?!"

Irene perked her eyebrows and tried to calm down her laugh. She took a deep breath, waved her hand to her neck, and eyes still looked at Wendy in amusement.

"Don't you know I am a student council?" Irene asked, walked past Wendy, and sat on the couch near them.

Wendy paused as her brain dug into a memory of the last month's inauguration party. She remembered the cheers, the hangover, and Seulgi's tone when she told her about Irene.

Wendy sighed, "I knew."

"Oh wow! You knew me."

"Do you have to make it as if I made a mistake?"

"Well, in my eyes, you did. But I think I shouldn't think so low about your social capability."

Wendy scoffed, "As if I am willing to know about you-- I knew about you from someone at the inauguration party last month."

"Really? Did you know it from that art student who joined your table?"

"Yeah--" Wendy said before it took her by surprise.

She gasped, " Wait, did you just watch me at the party?!"

Irene shrugged. "Can't help—I wonder who kept glancing at me like a lost puppy and found the person talked to another person, so naturally, I watched you."

"How could you say that so easily?"

"Why?" Irene's question sounded felt like smug.

"Is there something wrong with that?" She looked at Wendy with her crossed hand.

"You watched me too, didn't you?"

Wendy felt the stare, and she knew once she looked at those deep eyes, she would lose in despair and couldn't find the way out of the tempting loop.

"I—" Wendy was surprised by her own hoarse voice. She cleared and blushed because of the subtle giggles.

"I want to give the file!" She shouted, offered the files, and looked at Irene in certainty like she was ready to defeat the world.

However, the smugness of the older girl was enough for Wendy to whimper in her seat and weaken her limbs.

Wendy bit her lips and looked at her trembling hands.

"I need you to accept the file for our broadcasting club special project," Wendy said in a whisper. There was the walking sound, and Wendy went lower as the sound came closer.

"The broadcasting club, huh?" Irene's words felt like ice, so distant and cold.

Wendy gasped when Irene held her shoulder and squeezed it a little. "Before you asked me to take it--"

She held her breath when the soft breaths brushed her ears, "Did you find the mermaid, Wendy?"

Wendy gasped and pushed Irene, "You-- you are the one who sent the message."

Irene laughed out loud, "Why? Is it wrong? Aren't you the fake girl who always try to be nice even though people play with you?"

"You—How could you?"

"You, the people pleaser. Why don't you find the mermaid to please me?"

Wendy gritted her teeth, her lips trembled, and her eyes tore. She felt so humiliated and small in front of Irene.

Wendy felt like running away. She felt like hiding.

Wendy looked at Irene, ignoring the tears on her cheek, "I hate you!"

Irene stumbled to her feet as Wendy pushed her hard. The files were scattered on the floor when the younger threw it to the latter.

Wendy's fingers bleed but she didn't mind the blood or the pain.

Wendy didn't mind anything but running. She ran out of the room and disappeared.

Irene rooted on her feet, her eyes puzzled, looking at the scattered papers on the floor. She kneeled and took them one by one.

Irene's hand stopped when she noticed the blood stain on the edge of the paper.

She brushed the edge, stared at the stain, and sighed.

Author's Note:

I have checked on this update so I hope there is no error or mystype happen.

But if there is any, please let me know on the comment box.

Thank you