Sink Or Swim With Mr.Gorgeous

Sana's thoughts were interrupted by a strange, gurgling noise. She turned to find him staring at her, his stomach making noises that could only be described as... desperate.

She blinked, then giggled. "Aww, are you hungry?" she asked, feeling oddly affectionate. "You want something to eat? Hmm… what do people in your situation eat? Bread crumbs? worms? Or maybe tuna?"

She mocked herself, pulling a silly face as she considered her own ridiculous suggestions. Her thoughts wandered to the fish food the old man had given her. Could that work?

With a sigh, she got up and went to grab the container of fish food. She stood for a moment, staring at it in her hand. How do I even feed this to him?

When she looked back at him, she was met with his wide, hopeful eyes, the sparkle in them only increasing her sense of absurdity.

Oh, what the heck. He's a magical fish-mermaid hybrid, right? Might as well embrace it.

She sprinkled the fish food right on top of his head, letting it tumble onto his mouth. "There, there…" she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness.

He licked the food off with his glossy pink lips. Sana froze, her arm instinctively covering her nose as her face turned bright red.

What is this? A flirt in motion? She felt a wave of heat creep up her neck. I can't–no. I can't handle this.

She quickly turned her gaze away from him, but it was clear he had no idea how ridiculously good-looking he was.

The growl of her own stomach snapped her out of her daze. She blinked, she had just witnessed a magical creature licking fish food like it was gourmet caviar.

This is not normal. This is... weirdly appetizing.

She quickly turned her back, clutching her face in embarrassment, but her thoughts were already spiraling. Why am I thinking that? It's just fish food. It's just fish food. She could still hear his stomach growling.

Okay, get it together, Sana. You're not some weirdo obsessed with a half-naked magical fish-guy who happens to be oddly... beautiful. But he's a fish. A fish. A human-fish hybrid.

She walked toward the kitchen with a huff, opening the fridge. There was nothing but the empty echo of her loneliness. "Of course," she muttered. "No food. I've got no food. I ate the last cup of noodles last night, and now I'm stuck here... with you." She pointed at him. "And you're my problem now too."

Her stomach grumbled, louder than ever. Her face was still flushed, and now she was really hungry. What was she supposed to do? Now with an extra mouth to feed.

She turned back to him, a resigned sigh escaping her lips. "You're ruining my life, you know that?" She huffed. "How am I supposed to survive now–with you eating up all the attention and now making my stomach growl too? Ugh.."

But, of course, he stared at her, his stomach making another deep gurgle.

"Okay, fine, it's not a competition," she muttered, crossing her arms. "You're too pretty to blame. There, I said it. But I still don't know how I'm going to survive." She pouted, looking down at him.

Her mind raced for a solution, pulling out her phone. Jina. Her best friend was always full of questionable advice, but it was better than nothing.

The phone rang twice before Jina picked up. "Hey! What's up?"

"Jina," Sana began, her voice already teetering on the edge of hysteria. "You're not going to believe this, but there's a fish-man in my apartment, and I don't know what to do or how to feed him."

There was silence.

Then Jina burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, you've officially lost it. You're dreaming about Mr. Han again, aren't you?"

Sana's face flamed. "NO! It's not Mr. Han! It's a real, actual, half-human, half-fish guy. Like, he's sitting in my living room, being annoyingly… attractive. I'm not crazy!"

Jina's laughter only got louder. "Okay, okay, I believe you. Totally. Magical fish-man. Got it. So, what, you need fish food recipes now?"

"Jina!"

"Relax," her friend said, still chuckling. "You're stressed. Want me to come over? I can bring snacks and help you figure out your… uh… piscine boyfriend situation."

"No!" Sana yelped, her panic rising. "I mean, uh, no. The sink's broken! There's water everywhere. It's a disaster. You really don't want to-"

"Fine, fine. No visits," Jina interrupted, sounding vaguely amused. "But I'll send you some money for groceries. You sound like you're about to starve."

A notification pinged on Sana's phone. "What? Jina, I can't-"

"Don't even. Pay me back later," Jina said firmly. "Now go feed yourself and your new fishy roommate. And call me if he grows legs or starts talking, okay?"

Sana sighed, her chest tight with gratitude. "Thanks, Jina. You're the best."

"Always," Jina said, and hung up.

I still have to clean all this water up.

She looked around at the mess that was now her life. Her gaze landed on the guy sitting in front of her, still looking up with those innocent, wide eyes.

What am I supposed to do with you?