"Mrs. Ga Ya, apart from smelling the scent of other mermaids, what other skills are mermaids taught?" Rin wanted to know more about the mermaids. "Being in water without becoming a mermaid and teaching them to use their powers, teaching them everything latest about human I guess from what I remember." She said and took the last sip on her coffee. "Wow, is it even possible for us to be in water without becoming mermaid?" Rin was more surprised the more she got to know about her kind. "It is possible." Mrs. Ga Ya said.
"Mrs. Ga Ya, can I please ask you for a favour?" Rin asked more politely. "Anything for you." She said in a gentle voice with a motherly look in her eyes. "I wanted to ask if you could teach me some of the skills and how to use my powers, I discover new powers day by day." Rin said. "it's not like I have much to do I'll any time you ready I'll come and find you but as a friend and an elder, I advise you to go back to the sea at least till the beginning of spring." She then picked up her Chanel purse and the two exchanged smiles and she moved gracefully out of the library.
Rin remained in the library sitting alone thinking about what Mrs Ga Ya had told her. She then stood up and went to the librarian, "Could you please show me books that teach about love?" Rin asked politely. "Follow me and you choose from the ones I'll recommend for you." The lady in her mid-twenties said to Rin. Rin read a stack of books for a few hours till it was 7 pm. When she saw that it was getting late and packed the five books, she had not finished to go check them out. One book fell down but when she bent to pick it up, she bumped her head with someone who had also squat down to help her pick it. "Ouch!" The two howled. When she looked up, it was a boy her age wearing a school uniform and spectacles.
"Hi there, I am sorry. You must've been hurt. I was so reckless. I am very sorry please." The boy thought the girl was going to throw a tantrum. "It��s okay, you were just trying to help me, you must have been hurt more than I did." She sympathised him. "Oh, no. I am fine." He pretended but was blushed away from reality when Rin removed his bangs to see if he was bruised. "Oh, dear. Look how your forehead has become red." She pitied him. She tiptoed to blow his forehead because he was taller than her. She gently blew air on his forehead but the high schooler's happy moments weren't going to last forever.
Ma Roo ruined the moment for him when he came from behind and pushed her back down so that she couldn't reach the high schooler's fore head. "Rin, let's go home." He grabbed her arm and left the boy angry. He ran back to his fellow buddies who were also in school uniforms. "Wow, Yoo Jung, you did great just now. She even blew your forehead. I wish I was the one who went to see her instead." The boys mocked him with envy. He just blushed when he heard his friends envious. "Who was that? Her brother?" The boys saw the two get out after paying for the books Rin had got.
"Ma Roo, why did you come? I said I'd come back as soon as it starts getting dark." She told Ma Roo. "If I hadn't come, you'd have to hang out with those high schoolers. Do you know how I…"? He stopped in the way. "Do I know how you what?! The little boy had injured his forehead because of me. I had to at least do something." Rin still felt because the boy had got injured because of her.
"Ok, do whatever you want. You are raising your voice at me now." Ma Roo sulked. "It's not what I meant. I just wanted to help him. I am sorry." She didn't know that Ma Roo was just playing around with her knowing that she had many soft spots. "Wow, you such a baby you yourself. Come let's go home." He laughed seeing that she was feeling guilty already. Ma Roo went the whole way teasing her.
At home in the couch where Ma Roo was seated with Rin eating popcorn. "Rin, that night when I was drunk, is what you told me the truth?" Ma Roo mustered up the courage and finally told her. "Huh?" Rin thought Ma Roo had forgotten all of it. "Please tell me am wrong? What I remember is all wrong?" Ma Roo looked at her solely waiting for the answer. "Yes…it is…it is not true." She decided to him that he remembered it all wrong because that's what he really wanted. What hurt her most was him saying that he wanted all of it to be wrong yet on the same night it's when she told him how she felt about him. It was too soon, wasn't it but she thought she was deeply connected to him. Maybe that time she didn't mean it but now she felt hurt.
"I don't feel any bit relieved by what she told me. At the beach that day I found the second bottle." He remembered well that when he went back to the beach that day he found the last bottle. If Rin was really telling the truth, why didn't she at least tell him, that at that time they went at the beach. He'd have at least thought he just imagined it because of the alcohol nut now he got even more suspicious. "Ok, what did you want to suddenly go at the library?" He asked to change the topic. "I wanted to know about humans." She said. "What?" He wondered why she wanted to know more about humans yet she was one too, was she really not one?
"Oh, what I meant was… more about us humans." She corrected herself. "Whatever, how many have you read so far?" He asked. "I have read only 26 for now." She said. "Tomorrow, come back early, I have got something to give you." He told her. "What is that?" She asked curiously. "It's a surprise. I'll not tell you since it's a surprise." He refused to tell her. "Oh, can't you at least tell me how it looks like." She was eager to know. "I shouldn't have told you, bye, I am going to sleep. Night." He let her in a deep sea of questions.
Next morning, Rin tried everything possible to get Rin tell her what he was going to give her today. "Ma Roo, today, I was just wondering, like you know." She winked and gave a chunk of meat. "Rin, you are into bad company with Saet Byul, I advise that you hung out with her less because she has made you less innocent." Ma Roo ate the meat without telling her. "Why did you eat my meat without telling me what I want?" She also pinched him playfully like he usually does to her. "Waa, Rin has pinched me. Am not eating food anymore. Waa." He pretended to sulk again. "Okay, I am sorry. Eat this." She gave him a few more meat chunks to calm him down.
"I should sulk more often now." He told her as he ate up the meat. "Take this other ones, I feel suddenly full." He gave the other meat pieces after eating only two of them. "Oh, are you sure?" She said as she ate up. "It's not like you could refuse it." He mocked her. "Can I escort you to school today?" She asked. "No, maybe another time." He refused. "Okay, I'll stay home today to read my books waiting for you to come back." She said with her usual cheerful smile. "okay, bye." He pinched her nose and walked away. "I barely understand myself nowadays. Why do I smile for no reason whenever I am with her?" He thought as he waited for the elevator.
Rin was reading her book, when she heard someone enter passcode. "Who could that be?" She asked herself. "Rin! Morning, today, my teacher didn't come and I also have more good news." Saet Byul ran to Rin impatient to tell her the news. "What is it Saet Byul? First calm down." Rin thought Saet Byul was cute today in her Minnie design dress with bow. "Oh, ok. My dad just called me and told me that he wanted to hang out with me today, he also told me that I can get to take you with me. It's awesome, isn't it?" Saet Byul said excited. She rarely got to hang out with her parents because they were all often busy with their work. "Oh, it'd be good but I promised M Roo to stay here till he is back." Rin declined. "Rin, please, you are my friend aren't you?" Saet Byul said. "Yes. I am." Rin accepted that it was the fact. "Then please, do me this one favour only in this week. Please, let me take you with me." She begged with her lips pouted. "Ok, but I'll have to go back before sunset." Rin put up a condition. "Ok, deal. Yay." Saet Byul was happy that she hugged Rin tightly.