About

This story begins on July 7, 2006, when I was in the 4th grade. During the homeroom closing, the teacher announced that a transfer student from abroad would be joining our class the next day. The classroom was buzzing with excitement and curiosity at the news of a foreign transfer student. However, I wasn't interested. I was an outcast, and no one around me liked me. After school, while on my way to buy a cup of tteokbokki, I saw a beautiful foreign girl. She seemed fascinated by everything—the junk food and toys in the stationery store, and even the warm, delicious smell of the owner's tteokbokki. In that moment, our eyes met. I quickly turned my head away, but she must have been curious about me because she greeted me and started a conversation. For someone from abroad, her Korean was so good she sounded like a native. It was the first time a friend had ever greeted me, and I didn't know what to say. In the end, I couldn't utter a word, threw away my tteokbokki, and ran home. The next day was the day the transfer student arrived. When she walked in during morning assembly—I couldn't believe it! It was the girl I had met yesterday! Her name was Flora. As luck would have it, the homeroom teacher told her to sit in the empty seat next to mine. As she approached, I was at a complete loss, feeling guilty about yesterday and overwhelmed by having a desk mate for the first time. Sitting down, she poked my shoulder and gave me a famous, exotic chocolate she had brought from abroad. Seeing that she wasn't hurt by what happened yesterday, I found myself naturally talking to her and sincerely apologizing for my behavior. She accepted my apology, saying yesterday was fine. Then, she whispered in my ear that she wanted to be special best friends with me! Hearing that, I turned red from head to toe, and I was so happy to finally have a friend. On July 8, 2006, Flora and I became inseparable best friends. Time passed, and on March 2, 2015, I was accepted into the same 'Seoul Marine University' as my best friend Flora, and we both applied for the 'Marine Exploration' major. However, Flora had changed since starting university. In middle school, she always said she loved the ocean, but whenever we had to go for undersea exploration practice, she would say she couldn't do it because of a childhood trauma related to the sea, and then she would disappear somewhere. I was worried and asked what she was avoiding, but she wouldn't tell me, as if she were hiding a secret. On May 4, 2015, on a night when the stars were twinkling more beautifully than ever, I went out for a walk. During my walk, I saw Flora swimming alone in the sea and ran toward her. But Flora's lower body wasn't legs—it was a fish tail. It turned out the reason she avoided undersea exploration was that she was a mermaid...!!