Youngmin touched the handles of the old bathtub. Jolyu listened carefully as he explained how the foreign object in front of her worked.

"Pull this," he said, grazing his finger along a metal piece. "And water comes out."

Water comes out? Jolyu mused. Is this some kind of waterfall....machine? How does it make water? Or does it bring it from somewhere? Does it come from the oce-

"Then turn this handle," Youngmin pointed to a new bit of metal. "To make the water cold." He pointed towards an identical piece. "This one makes the water hotter. Do you understand?" Younmin's hand rested on Jolyu's shoulder. He squeezed it gently.

Jolyu's eyes were wide as she took in the machine. She nodded slowly. Well whatever it is, it makes water, so... Jolyu's hands slipped to the bottom of her shirt as she began to pull it up.

"Yah!" Youngmin squeaked. He put his hands on hers quickly, pulling her shirt back down. "Wait until I'm out of the room, arraso?"

"Ah!" Jolyu nodded. Humans are so weird when it comes to another person's skin. Yet they so readily bestow their friendship on others physically. She couldn't help but blush when she thought of Minwoo holding her so tightly.

Youngmin shuffled out the door quickly, his eyes on the floor. Jolyu watched as he glanced back at her, blushing. 

When Jolyu heard the door click, she sighed in relief. She quickly took her clothes off and stood in front of the bathtub. How did he say this thing worked again? 

Within three minutes, Jolyu had succeeded in filling the bathtub nearly to the brink of overflowing. She grinned excitedly as she let her finger glide over the water, sending ripples dancing across the clear surface.

Jolyu had never gone without her tail. She had only heard stories of merfolk shedding their tails for legs, and every tale had been painful.

She slipped her pale foot into the warm water. Her eyes shut tightly as the tingling feeling began to spread in her toes. Jolyu quickly slid the rest of her body into the tub, savoring the water's creamy warmth around her.

She looked at her toes. The scales were already beginning to grow back. Black and silver scales broke the skin on Jolyu's legs, emerging like a plant from a pod. 

Jolyu wanted so badly to be in her tail again. She was missing a huge part of her being. The pain, however horrific the feeling may be, was worth having her naturally born body together in one piece. Even if it was a huge risk.

Jolyu let out a groan as her legs began to merge into one. The scales on her legs were almost finished with their growth. A few solo, smaller scales emerged around her waist and on her stomach.

"Jolyu?" she heard Kwangmin call. Here comes the hard part, Jolyu thought nervously. Her dorsal fin began to emerge at the tip of her scaled body. 

She couldn't help but groan again. "N-neh?" No, human boy, go away!

Subtle, golden oranger began to grow slowly. She pushed harder.

"What's wrong?" Jolyu's wide eyes shot nervously to the door as someone banged on it.

A new layer of color grew from her tail, an off-white. She was almost done. Why didn't I think to lock that door??

Jolyu cleared nervously. "Nothing's wrong, I'm okay!" Why do you two have to worry so much about me?

Finally, a deep blue shade completed the tips of her fin, matching the shade on the sides of her body. Three rows of gills on either side of her waist were birthing. Jolyu breathed heavily, trying to be quiet, as the fin closed up. Her gills flapped as they began to pump breathable elements from the water, completing her fish body.

She sighed in exhaustion. Jolyu could hear the twins arguing outside the door. Please go away, please go away, please go away. Shutting her eyes tightly, Jolyu wished as hard as she could.

More commotion occured outside, but it didn't matter to Jolyu. She was back in her own body. She smiled into the sunlight that streamed from the window above her. She flicked her tail lazily as it lay across the edge of the bathtub. 

Her bliss was suddenly interruped as Kwangmin burst through the door, turning around so he couldn't see her.

"Kwangmin!" Jolyu shouted. OH NO THIS IS BAD, THIS IS BAD, THIS IS VERY VERY BAD. 

The water in the tub splashed out, spilling onto the floor as Jolyu attempted to hide the length of her tail under the water. Maybe he won't notice? 

Today seemed to be a very bad day for prayers to be heard and wishes to be granted. For reasons unknown to Jolyu, Kwangmin turned around.

NO!! Jolyu's arms flashed up to her chest as she hugged her cleavage, concealing herself from Kwangmin. 

He fell to the floor, paralyzed.

Oh, no... Jolyu shut her eyes tightly. What will I say to him? I can never tell him my reason for coming here... Does he even know what a mermaid is for that matter?

"You're a...a...fish?!" he squeaked.

Jolyu frowned. She loved this human, but was he really this much of an idiot? She sighed. I may as well not be so afraid of this. Surely nothing bad can come of these lovely twins knowing, right?

Jolyu clutched the side of the tub, peeking over the brim. Her tail flicked up in the air behind her. "MERMAID. i am not a fish. You eat kimchi, neh? Do I call you kimchi?" Being called a fish was the only thing she wouldn't put up with. Jolyu never smart mouthed anyone, but some things she couldn't stand.

Kwangmin's knees gave out on him as he sat fully on the floor. "Y-you're not supposed to be real."

Jolyu sighed again, sending bubbles out of . She tried to be understanding, since the boys had been so kind to her when they found her. Jolyu, stay calm. You're returning the kindness they showed you. Never once have any of them considered you an idiot.

"Mermaids are very real, Kwangmin," she said, smiling. "Does everything seem to fit into place now that you know my secret?"

Kwangmin nodded, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. What? Mermaids are real? She's a- WHAT AM I GOING TO TELL YOUNGMIN?

Jolyu chuckled sweetly, choosing to give him time to let the information sink in.

Kwangmin shut his mouth, coming to his senses. He stood, inching forward cautiously, as if her existance would suddenly shatter before his eyes, proving to be a dream. This can't be real...

Jolyu layed an arm over her chest as she turned over in the water, giving Kwangmin a better look at her tail. Of course he's curious... "Kwangmin ah... would you like to... touch it?" she asked.

He couldn't deny that he wanted to. Kwangmin nodded, leaning over the tub. "A-are you sure?" he asked.

Jolyu smiled. Without saying anything, she took his hand with her free arm. Kwangmin's hands tingled as she carefully drug his hand over her tail. He shivered at the feeling of her scaly body at his fingertips. As Jolyu's hand left his, Kwangmin continued to touch her tail. He the sheer orange colors in her fin. It felt rough, yet delicate and graceful in between his thumb and forefinger. He let all his fingers graze back up her tail as his eyes watched in disbelief. Kwangmin felt the slits in her side where her gills were located. Jolyu's wise, black eyes met his.

Such beauty lay before him, and yet he didn't understand any of it. How is this possible? he wondered.

"It doesn't matter what is possible and what is not,"Jolyu whispered, as if she had read his thoughts.. "This is what is."

Kwangmin gulped. Butterflies arose in his stomach once more. He didn't even feel an urge to sneak a peek at her chest. His eyes found rest in her own. Even if he couldn't understand why Jolyu was here, what exactly she was, or how she even existed, he felt something deeper, staring into those huge eyes of hers.

"Jolyu..." he whispered, his hand resting on her cheek.

Her eyes widened even larger as her face pinkened. 

Kwangmin's thumb gently rubbed her cheek. He slid closer to her, never breaking eye contact. "I need to ask you something."

Jolyu felt something in her stomach. Something she had never felt before. Her free hand slid to her stomach as she clutched it nervously. Did I swallow a live fish at some point? Jolyu's eyes couldn't leave Kwangmin's.

"Jolyu. May I-"

Kwangmin felt an arm jerk him away from Jolyu.

"WHY IS THERE A MERMAID IN OUR BATHTUB?" Youngmin shrieked, pointing a shaking finger to Jolyu.

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A/N: here we go again, lol. sorry this chapter was somewhat uneventful > < leave me lovely comments, my lovely readers!! <33 love you all~ ^^