Chapter 13
The next day, Suryeon woke up refreshed, stretching with a human voice instead of her usual "Hiss" sound. She had perfectly transformed into a human.
I waved at her sleepy face.
"Good morning, Suryeon."
"...Yeah, morning."
Her pale skin had a slight redness to it, perhaps remembering yesterday's events.
"How are you feeling? Are you okay?"
"...Why are you worried? I'm a dragon. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I just overexerted myself regulating my body temperature yesterday. I'm fully recovered now."
"I see. I'm glad you're alright."
Suryeon frowned, seemingly displeased at being worried about. Her expressionless face and monotone voice would require considerable attention to discern her emotions in the future.
"So you're okay now?"
I asked again.
"I said so, didn't I?"
"Then go stand facing the wall over there."
"?"
"You made a big mistake yesterday. Everyone was worried when you disappeared."
I explained her wrongdoings: hiding in my bag, wandering around the workplace, getting locked in the warehouse, and leaving without telling anyone. This time, I had to punish her properly to prevent it from happening again.
"Right now. Face the wall, Lee Suryeon."
It's time for some discipline.
***
Experts say dragons can erase entire countries from maps if they choose to. Machines analyzing their magic power have exploded in the process. Now, this descendant of such powerful beings was...
"Why do I have to face the wall? What's the point of this?"
Suryeon grumbled while facing the wall.
I spoke to her small back.
"Reflect on your actions."
"On what?"
"Your mistakes."
"..."
She always clams up when at a disadvantage. She probably knows she was wrong but is too proud to admit it.
Suryeon finally spoke.
"...It was just a mistake. And the outcome was good, wasn't it?"
"If I hadn't found you, you could have been the first dragon to freeze to death in a cold storage."
"...But I succeeded in polymorphing."
"You could have failed and died."
More importantly…
"You worried your family by leaving without saying anything. If you were going far, you should have told us."
That was unacceptable, regardless of the outcome. She shouldn't have made others worry.
Hwaryeon, another dragon child, suddenly agreed with me, shouting.
"Yeah, you should have said something! I wasn't worried, but you made Choryeon suffer with worry!"
"Hiss..."
Choryeon, the youngest dragon, lowered her head dejectedly.
"You should have at least told us, your family! We're dragons like you, not humans!"
"...Hey, Hwaryeon. I'm family too. And call me Dad, not homeowner."
"No! I'll call you what I want! Homeowner! Homeowner!!"
Hwaryeon turned away, pouting. Her stubborn nature would likely never change.
I picked up the gloomy Choryeon and placed her on Suryeon's shoulder.
"Think about it for 30 more minutes facing the wall."
"Will it be over after 30 minutes?"
"If I think you've reflected enough, I'll stop scolding you."
Dragons are intelligent beings. Given time, they should find the right answer on their own.
"And apologize to Choryeon separately for worrying her."
"...I'll do it on my own. Stop nagging me."
"Alright, alright."
"...I'm listening to you because you saved me. Don't misunderstand."
Suryeon stroked Choryeon's head on her shoulder. Choryeon seemed like an S-class living air purifier, with an excellent ability to change the surrounding air.
I wondered when Choryeon would be able to take human form. She seemed content as a dragon, probably happy to stay that way forever.
After the punishment, Suryeon approached me and slightly bowed her head.
"...I've reflected. I made others worry."
"Now you understand why I made you face the wall?"
"...Yeah."
Suryeon coolly acknowledged the meaning of self-reflection.
"It wasn't a meaningless action. The process was annoying, but the result is good."
"See? I didn't make you do it for no reason. Let's listen to Dad from now on, okay?"
"..."
Her silence suggested she still didn't recognize me as a parent.
'Dad feels hurt.'
But as we continue living together, maybe one day she'll acknowledge me.
"From now on, I'll use the word 'Dad' often so you can recognize me. Any objections?"
"?"
"I guess not. Dad is happy."
Suryeon looked at me incredulously, then turned to leave, probably wanting to watch TV.
"...Thanks for saving me.
She muttered before quickly leaving, perhaps embarrassed.
I chuckled at her retreating figure.
"Dragons are all so dishonest."
Maybe it's their proud nature as a species. They all seemed far from being straightforward.
"Only Choryeon is honest among them."
"Hiss?"
"Yes, you, Choryeon. You shouldn't become like your sisters, okay?"
"Hiss!"
Choryeon nodded vigorously, seeming to understand well. Even without becoming human, she was the most human-like.
"Appearance isn't important after all. You're better than those dragons in human form, Choryeon."
"Hey! I can hear you!"
Hwaryeon shouted.
"Hey! I'm batter! I'm the strongest! So I'm batter!!"
"It's 'better,' not 'batter.' And don't say 'hey' to Dad. Do you want to be punished too, Hwaryeon?"
"Hmph, I'm not scared at all! More importantly, what's for dinner today? I want to eat something delicious after a long time! I want meat!"
"Meat?"
"Give me meat!"
Hwaryeon strongly appealed for meat. Her bright red tail moved like a helicopter's propeller, probably salivating at the thought.
"Meat... It has been a while since we've had it."
Since money was accumulating, it seemed okay to eat meat for one day. But...
"What's the magic word?"
"Huh?"
"Call me Dad, and I'll go buy meat."
"Tch, that's so petty!"
"The world is petty. You get what you give."
"Ugh..."
Hwaryeon bit her lip, frustrated. She had to choose between meat and pride. After much deliberation, she made her decision.
"Dad! Give me meat! Happy now?"
"That'll do."
Children are indeed weak when it comes to food. If I keep making them say "Dad" like this, they'll gradually get used to it.
I put on my shoes and hat, leaving the nearly exploding Hwaryeon behind. I repeated my usual warning, "Don't cause trouble and wait quietly."
I quickly ran to the nearest butcher shop and bought some pork shoulder.
As I was leaving, the butcher stopped me and handed me a small plastic bag.
"What's this?"
"Homegrown lettuce. Eat it with the meat."
"Hmm."
Lettuce is good, but the person giving it isn't so great.
"Mister, you don't grow other substances, do you?"
"Well, I do as a side job. But I had some extra land, so I grow lettuce too. If you don't like it, give it back."
"No, I'll gratefully accept it. I was just curious."
I returned home with the meat and lettuce. But I had forgotten one crucial fact.
"Ah, right. The gas is cut off."
Hwaryeon approached me as I stood dumbfounded.
"Idiot! How could you forget that!"
"I've been busy raising you all."
"Bring that out! I'll do it!"
Could she...?
I placed the meat on a frying pan as Hwaryeon instructed.
"Ahem."
Hwaryeon cleared her throat and opened her mouth towards the meat on the pan. Then...
"Kwaaaang!!"
With a visible burst of strong fire, she instantly grilled the meat on the pan.
"Hahaha! This is me! You stupid human!"
"Wow, I'll give you credit for that. You're pretty good."
I had to applaud Hwaryeon's intense performance. First water, now gas - she was earning her keep.
"It's a bit burnt, but it should be edible. Come on, kids, let's eat."
I put the meat on the table and brought out the lettuce. Hwaryeon immediately frowned at the sight of the vegetables.
"Ugh, I don't even want to eat this! I won't eat it!"
She seemed to be a prodigy of carnivores, instinctively rejecting vegetables. However, Suryeon was curious and sniffed the lettuce.
"Hmm. It's just grass. Homeowner, is this really edible?"
"I'll answer if you call me Dad."
"..."
Suryeon silently put the lettuce in her mouth. Apparently, she'd rather risk eating poison than call me Dad.
"I guess it's edible grass."
"Of course it is. It's even better if you wrap the meat with it."
"Wrap it like this? Hmm, it does taste better."
Suryeon learned new information. She didn't seem to dislike the wrapped meat and vegetables.
I put a piece of lettuce on Choryeon's plate.
"Choryeon, do you want to try this too?"
"Hiss?"
"It's the same color as you. You might like it."
"Here, let Dad feed you. Say 'ah.'"
"Hiss~"
Choryeon opened her mouth wide, and I put a fresh lettuce leaf in it.
"Hiss!!"
She seemed to like it. Choryeon gently tapped the table with her front paw, asking for more.
"Alright. This time, I'll add some meat too. Here you go."
"Hiss~"
Choryeon ate the lettuce with meat happily. It looked like she enjoyed it even more with the meat-
Ptoo-
"Huh?"
"Hiss~"
The leftover meat rolled across the table. Why?
"Choryeon?"
"Hiss?"
"Why did you spit out the meat?"
"Hiss~"
"Don't you like meat?"
"Hiss!"
Choryeon smiled brightly, indicating she didn't like meat. Then she urged me for more lettuce. Unlike her smiling face, I couldn't smile.
"Vegetables are so expensive these days... How will I manage the food expenses?"
Lee Choryeon, declaring vegetarianism!
This news was quite troublesome for me, who was responsible for their diet.
'Should I start farming myself?'
The worries were piling up.