renjun was swimming around the house, exciting by the thought of seeing donghyuck again.

his best friend had sent him a flying fish not long ago to tell him he was leaving the surface world. so, donghyuck would be here in a nick of time.

except that he wasn't.

renjun waited.

one hour.

two hours.

three hours.

and donghyuck never came.

this meant nothing. the boy could have seen someone he knew on the way and stopped to talk to them. he will get there anyway.

renjun waited more.

donghyuck was really late.

worriedly, renjun swam the quickest possible to riley's house, where the link between the two worlds was. he knocked on the door rather harshly, waiting for riley to open.

she did not long after, inviting renjun in. as soon as he swam inside the house, riley's baby seahorse jumped on renjun in a friendly manner.

"bandit, it's just renjun. don't jump on him like that." she said, making the animal stop.

"riley, has donghyuck come back?" renjun asked.

"no. the portal is opened, but he didn't."

"what if something happened to him?" renjun widened his eyes.

"don't worry, he'll be back."

"he sent me a flying fish this morning telling me that he was leaving. i received it almost 10 hours ago and he's still not here!"

riley shrugged. "i don't know..."

"send me up there." renjun told.

"what? no. it's against the rules."

renjun furrowed his brows. "what really is against the rules is sending donghyuck to the house you want."

it was riely's turn to widen her eyes. "we agreed to never talk about that again."

"riley." renjun said sternly. "i agreed when you told me you would send him there. i kept the secret. but you are crazy! sending him into the repair of the biggest mermaids' chasers! why did i even agree?" he pulled on his own hair.

"if the trident could be somewhere above the surface, it's there, inside the repair." riley explained. "donghyuck is a good guy. i'm sure that he'll be a good king."

"he hasn't found it, riley." renjun pointed out. "and he's still not here!"

"we can't do anything about it!" riley yelled, startling her seahorse.

"yes, we can. send me where you sent him." renjun asked.

riley shook her head. "it's against the rules. i can't do that."

"riely. i kept your secret when i knew my best friend could be in danger. now, he probably is, so i have to help him." renjun told.

riley sighed. "keep this a secret as well. i'm not supposed to let you." she said doing a hand motion that opened a bubble vortex.

"thank you so much!" renjun said, engulfing the blue-haired mermaid in a hug.

renjun swam towards the vortex, stopping when riley called his name.

"what?" renjun asked.

"i-if you see her family..." riley lowered her head. "can you please tell them i am sorry for killing her? i didn't mean to, and knowing what i did is killing me." she told.

"don't worry, i'll make sure to tell them." renjun said before swimming inside the bubble vortex.

ψ

"can i see donghyuck, please?"

"hum... i'm sorry but who are you?" jaemin asked the boy at his door.

"i'm his best friend. i really need to see him."

jaemin raised a brow. "well, sorry but he isn't here."

"yes, he is! i put a tracer into his necklace." the mysterious boy said, pushing jaemin aside and entering the house, following the directions of the gps – global positioning shell – that he had in his hands. "and my tracker tells me he is right here!" he continued, lowering the shell to find himself facing four boys inside a living room. however, none of them was donghyuck.

"see, i told you he wasn't there. now can you please leave my- "

"renjun?" mark cut jaemin, eying the stranger from head to toe.

the renjun boy raised a brow. "i'm sorry, but do i know you?" he asked.

"i-i'm mark."

renjun widened his eyes. "oh my god mark!" he exclaimed.

"wait a minute." jeno interrupted. "can someone tell me what the hell is happening?"

"guys." mark said, drying his tears with his shirt. "meet renjun, donghyuck's best friend."

"how do you know him then?"

"it's... a complicated story..." mark smiled sheepishly.

"mark." renjun spoke. "where is donghyuck?"

mark raised a brow. "he was supposed to leave. he didn't?"

"no, he sent me a fly- a message telling me he was about to leave, but he never came. i tracked him down thanks to his necklace, but it brought me here." renjun explained.

mark took the necklace out from inside his shirt and showed it to renjun.

"he gave it to me. as a souvenir."

mark's friends didn't understand anything at this point.

"where did you see him last time?" renjun asked.

"at my house."

"let's go then. we should hurry, he might be in danger." renjun said heading towards the door before being stopped by jaemin who stood in front of the door so that renjun couldn't open it.

"wait a second. care to explain what's happening?" he inquired.

renjun smiled a bit. "mark, here," he pointed at mark, "has lied to you about donghyuck. now, he is in danger, and i came to save him so we should hurry the fuck up before he dies." he finished almost yelling.

jaemin's eyes wandered to mark who nodded. "i'll tell you everything after, but please, let's hurry."

jaemin hesitated a second. "let's take my mother's car." he said, making renjun widen his eyes.

"you're not coming with us."

jaemin scoffed. "excuse me little guy, but donghyuck is our friend as well, so we might go to save him also." he said to renjun. "mark! let's go." he added throwing the car keys to mark.

the six teenagers got in the car rather quickly, mark in front of the wheel, jisung on the passenger seat and the four other boys on the backseat, with renjun sitting on jeno and jaemin's laps.

"why couldn't i be on the passenger seat again?" chenle pouted.

"because jisung in the only one here to know where is left and where is right. and i need precise indications." mark told pushing on the accelerator.

"huh, excuse me?" renjun scoffed. "i know my left and my right as well." he said.

"yes, but you don't know this world." mark pointed out, confusing the other four.

"so... renjun, huh?" jeno asked the boy sitting on his lap.

"we didn't know donghyuck had such a cute best friend..." jaemin finished, making renjun blush.

the car ride ended pretty quick. mark parked the car next to the front door and exited it quickly, followed by the other five. he opened the door and entered the house, his friends on his heels.

"let's search the house." mark said. "renjun, be careful." he added, making the others stop in their tracks.

"why only renjun? are we no longer your friends?" jisung asked.

"no. that's not it! it's just... you'll understand later." mark said rushing to his room.

the six boys searched the house completely. the bathrooms, the bedrooms, the garden, the basement, everywhere. there was no trace of the merman.

"where can he be?" jaemin asked when the boys were all back in the living room.

"there's something odd with this house." renjun told, looking around him.

"yeah, renjun... about that... my uncle-"

"i know." renjun cut him.

jaemin furrowed his brows. "what does that mean? what is the problem about your uncle?"

"he's a mermaid chaser." renjun said, walking around the room and observing every object he saw.

"what? a mermaid chaser?" chenle asked.

mark hummed.

"mark, mermaids don't exist. what are you talking about?" jeno added.

"once again, it's complic-"

"history of mermaids since the creation of the cosmos." renjun told, standing in front of the library, making all the boys turn towards him. "why would he put this book here when his occupation is supposed to be a secret?"

"guys. i'm sorry, but nothing makes sense anymore." jisung stated.

renjun didn't listen to the other's complaints, he only pulled the book, triggering the mechanism which opened a passage.

"what the hell?!" mark and jeno said at the same time.

renjun turned around, telling the boys to follow him with a hand motion. the six boys entered the place, walking down the stairs slowly and gulping when the passage closed behind them. they walked, renjun first, through the corridor until they reached a huge room.

arriving there, some of the boys freaked out and others got fuming red at the sight in front of them.

a dozen of men was surrounding donghyuck who was unconscious and tied to a table with huge chains, and the worst was that he was in his mermaid form.

"well... seems like the mermaids got the message quickly..." one of the men said, seeing the six boys. "war is declared."