Yoosol has to become a human.

I sighed.

Even I knew that Baekhyun hyung hadn't been talking about some magical potion Yoosol should drink to form permanent legs.

He had been talking about the real-life situation. Making Yoosol to act like a human.

And leave the water forever.

I frowned.

No. Yoosol was a mermaid. Mermaids live in water, not the land. I didn't want to take that freedom away from her... She wouldn't be Yoosol without the water. She wouldn't be happy.

And that wouldn't make me happy.

"Sehun?"

I froze at the sudden, familiar voice. I widened my eyes when I turned around.

"Jiwon.."

Of course. I couldn't avoid her forever for the rest of my life. She went to the same campus as me... It was easy to run into people you knew here.

And in this case, your ex.

We both exchanged awkward glances, a bit of sadness in our eyes. There was not much to say, and yet, we were standing right in front of each other, facing the other without doing anything.

"Um... What are you doing here?" I managed to say in a low voice.

"I needed to go to the library to print something out...." Her voice couldn't have been any more timid.

"... Printer's broken again?"

"Mmhmm."

"You should get a new one. It's bothersome to walk all the way to the library like this."

"Yeah, I should."

And there we were met with a dead end to the lifeless conversation.

I stiffled a sigh.

"Jiwon--"

"Do we have to be friends?"

I blinked at her sudden question.

"Uh.... I guess not."

"Alright, then. Because.. I think it's going to be hard being friends. How about we just be acquaintences?"

"... Acquaintences?"

"Yeah. It'll be better. It'll be easier...." She turned grim. "... Easier for me to cope with the fact that I had lost to a mermaid."

I stiffened. 

"Baekhyun told me." Her voice was shaky as she answered my unspoken question. "When I first asked him about the Yoosol girl, he seemed too hestitant. I became suspicious. So I kept on urging him to tell me."

She softly scoffed.

"And he told me the funniest joke in the world. That Oh Sehun had left Kim Jiwon to be with a mermaid."

I slightly frowned.

"And what's wrong with that?" My voice came out soft.

Jiwon scoffed.

"What's wrong? Everything, Sehun. Everything's wrong. I know it's over, and I know I have nothing to do with this now. But... can't you see that she's not us?"

"What's that supposed to mean? She's not an alien. I can love her."

"But you shouldn't. It's pure common sense, Sehun. Get your mind straight... what you're doing is throwing yourself into a volcano when you can be at the cool beach."

"I am at the cool beach. Heck, I'm dating a mermaid who lives on the beach!" I rolled my eyes. "And what are you implying? That you're the good beach and Yoosol's the volcano?"

"What?! No, I already said that I have nothing to do with thi--"

"Then why are you telling me this? I don't know what you're trying to do, Jiwon... But I'm staying right here for Yoosol and it's not going to change."

Jiwon bit her lower lip.

"But, Sehun, you're looking at this all wrong! She's a mermaid. She can't be in a relationship with you!"

"There's nothing that says she can't." I replied almost instantly.

"Yes there IS. How are you going to go on dates? How are you going to live with her later?"

"Jiwon, stop. I can figure something out."

"But how?! How are you going to have kids and carry on a life and future with a nonhuman?!"

"Kim Jiwon."

She looked up at me with glassy eyes, her lower lip trembling. If it hadn't been for my anger that moment, I would've hit myself for making a girl cry.

But like the Jiwon I knew, she quickly took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

"I'm sorry. I probably sound like an annoying and clingy Ex to you right now... I'll stop." She sniffled, taking another deep breath.

"But you need to know, Sehun. It's not going to take a single day to make this relationship perfect. No matter how you feel or what you think, she's a mermaid. And you're a human. That's not going to change."

---------------------------------------------------

Unless I try.

"Are you sure about this, Sehun?"

"Of course I am. Why? Does it not fit you?"

"... No.... It's just that.... I don't know. It just feels really weird."

I smiled.

"Just come out already. I'm dying of curiousity."

Much to her excitement at first, I had taken Yoosol up to the beach stores again. This time, we entered the clothing stores.

After all, appearance was the first key that led to change.

"Fine... I'm coming out..."

And she did. An angel did.

I had asked the lady to bring her 'the most modern-looking clothes girls wore these days'.

She had given Yoosol a floral sleeveless blouse and white shorts.

I couldn't help but grin at her cute appearance.

In contrast to the long hours she spent basking under the sun's heat, Yoosol's skin was a clear milky white tone... A color only mermaids probably were born with. The make-up I had asked the lady to do thickly just like other girls seemed anything BUT unnatural. She blended in with everything she had with such beautiful simplicity.

And her shy smile completed the blissful butterflies in my stomach.

"Is it okay?" Yoosol asked timidly.

I nodded so eagerly while paying for the clothes that she giggled.

"Have a nice day~"

"You too!" Yoosol called back to the store lady. The lady smiled, not having seen a girl Yoosol's age politely say anything back to her before in response.

We both walked out hand in hand, a new appearance on Yoosol.

She suddenly stopped and looked up at me in curiosity.

"But why did you buy this for me?"

Good question.

I leaned down and stole a quick kiss on her lips without any reason. She slightly blushed, flustered.

"I think I saw enough of your world, Yoosol. Now, it's time you take a look at my world."