Chapter 40
Dragons consider territory very important. They find it extremely unpleasant when other beings intrude into their territory.
In that sense, Hwaryeon disliked the children who entered her territory, the playground.
"This is my territory! Get out now!"
Hwaryeon threw a punch at the crew-cut boy running toward her.
"Dragon Punch!"
Thud-!
The boy collapsed without even making a sound.
Flop-
"Hmph, so weak!"
Hwaryeon poked the fallen boy with her foot. Three children remained.
Seeing Hwaryeon's threatening aura, the children, two boys and one girl, hesitated and huddled together to discuss.
"...What should we do? She's stronger than we thought. We can't win."
"So you're saying we should abandon the boss and run? Jun's down too. I think we should fight back."
"Let's just tell the teacher. Teacher Bong will teach her a lesson!"
Whisper whisper-
The children put their heads together to share opinions, but no one was making the final decision. This was the fate of a group that lost its leader.
Hwaryeon watched this until she couldn't stand it and shouted.
"Hey! Just come at me! You're talking too much for trespassers!"
"Trespassing... We can't let that comment slide."
One child pushed up his glasses and stepped forward to argue.
"Seems like you're new here. This was our territory first."
"So what?!"
"This has always been our territory. That's what I'm saying."
The intruder isn't us, it's you.
The boy with glasses coolly said this and thought to himself.
'Heh, I must have looked pretty smart just now, right?'
The glasses-wearing boy smirked and struck a pose. He thought he had shown a really smart moment. But hearing this, Hwaryeon walked forward and shouted.
"Who cares?! This is my territory!"
"What?"
"Dragon Punch!"
Thud-!
The glasses-wearing boy fell from her punch, right next to the crew-cut boy. Fortunately, his glasses weren't damaged. Hwaryeon looked down at the three collapsed in the sand and sneered.
"Hmph, what's with all the talking?!"
"..."
Seeing this brutality, the remaining two children thought:
'She can't be reasoned with...'
She's beyond words. They erased dialogue as an option from their minds. It seemed they had picked the wrong opponent.
'Sorry, friends. At least we should survive.'
The remaining children held back tears and reluctantly knelt in the sand.
Thump-
"Sorry... We'll never come to this playground again..."
"P-please spare us."
"Hmph, now you recognize my power! Yes, you should kneel before a strong being like me! Look up to me like this from now on!"
Hwaryeon gloated over the kneeling children. Though she wanted to fight more, she decided to hold back her Dragon Punch. Forgiving the weak was a strong one's privilege.
"I really am the best!"
Hahaha-
Hwaryeon was excited after beating civilians. However, that happy moment was brief. She heard an angry shout.
"Lee Hwaryeon!! What are you doing?!!"
Three children collapsed, and two children kneeling. Lee Ha-jun approached with a frown after witnessing this horrible scene. Hwaryeon instinctively flinched.
"W-what?! What did I do?!"
"What do you think you're doing?"
"It's not my fault! They entered my territory first!"
Hwaryeon protested in panic. Even for a dragon, getting scolded by parents was scary. It was like an instinct carved into her body.
"It wasn't me!!"
***
Maybe I was too absorbed in riding the slide with Choryeon. While I wasn't looking, Hwaryeon caused a major incident. She even committed serious civilian assault.
"You! Lee Hwaryeon, apologize right now!"
"W-why should I?! They entered my territory first!"
To cause this and still not apologize. I showed her the devastation she caused.
"Three kids are bleeding from their noses! The other two knelt and is begging for mercy because they were afraid of getting hit!"
"Hmph, it's natural for the weak to kneel before the strong! They invaded my territory first!"
Hwaryeon pointed at the children with tissues stuffed in their noses. To do this to strangers and still act proud? As a parent, I couldn't let this slide.
"Why is the playground your territory in the first place? It's a public place where everyone can play."
"I-if I say it's my territory, it's my territory! The playground is my territory! If a dragon says so, that's how it is!"
Hwaryeon threw a tantrum, claiming the public place as her territory.
Why was she acting like this?
In this puzzling moment, Suryeon came over and quietly explained:
"Dragons consider territory very important. They have strong possessiveness over territory. Dragons never let go of what they've claimed."
"So, Hwaryeon thinks the playground is her territory. Is that what you mean?"
"Yes, once they declare something as their territory, dragons never back down."
"So she's deployed her territorial claim, you're saying."
Raising dragons is really difficult. From Hwaryeon's perspective, she was just removing intruders. Though that doesn't justify her violence. I grabbed her shoulders from behind and firmly said.
"Still, the playground is a public place. It's a space for everyone to play together, Hwaryeon."
"There's no such thing!"
"Yes, there is."
"Dad, you're so childish!!"
Hwaryeon expressed her displeasure. However, I pressed on.
"Bow your head and apologize to them."
"Why should I?!"
"You hit them. You shouldn't hit people."
"Why not!"
"Because it hurts. Look at them. They're bleeding from their noses. Their bodies are covered in sand."
Hwaryeon looked at the victims of her Dragon Punch at my words. They avoided her gaze while dusting sand off their bodies, and blood was still flowing from their punched noses.
"You still think you did nothing wrong when they're in this state?"
"..."
"Apologize. Or it's 3 hours facing the wall."
"F-fine! I'll do it if I have to!"
Hwaryeon walked forward with pouting lips. Then, she turned her head sideways to address the cowering children.
"S-so-"
"So?"
"So-sorry... NOT!! You invaded my territory first!!"
This kid. I pressed down on Hwaryeon's head.
"Apologize right now!"
"No! I'm sorry for hitting them! But the territory isn't my fault!"
Growl-
Hwaryeon insisted she would never apologize. That stubborn attitude seemed impossible to break right now.
As Hwaryeon and I were locked in this battle of wills, Choryeon carefully said.
"P-please don't fight... Fighting isn't good...!"
She's right. There’s no need for us to fight among ourselves.
While keeping my hand pressed on Hwaryeon's head, I spoke to the children who were watching us - now recognizing them as the parentless children I met before.
"Kids, I'm sorry about my daughter's behavior. But she says she's sorry for hitting you. Can you forgive her?"
"L-let go! Why should I be forgiven?! Let go!"
"And about what she said about being a dragon - please forget that nonsense."
The children whispered among themselves. Then, seeming to have reached a conclusion, one who looked like their representative stepped forward and said.
"You think we haven't seen idiots claiming to be dragons before? We're not stupid."
"Ah, yes. Thanks for not believing it."
"And we don't accept the apology. Like Red Hair said, there's nothing to apologize for today."
And then:
"Next time, we'll win."
The boy turned to his companions and shouted.
"Let's go, everyone!"
They coolly turned and left the playground.
'Isn't that too cool?'
Maybe because they're from the hood like me, but they seem to consider today's defeat shameful and want to make up for it somehow.
Children who grew up without parents tend to have fierce pride. Watching their retreating figures after losing the territory battle, I thought.
'...If this was the outcome, maybe I didn't need to interfere?'
They handled everything themselves. Maybe I didn't need to get involved.
'But I can't just not scold her for this...'
I saw Hwaryeon beat up humans. I can't praise her, but I can't ignore it either.
I felt like an outsider stuck between children.
'Still, got to do what needs to be done.'
I lifted up the now-emboldened Hwaryeon as I watched the children leave.
Lift-
Hwaryeon struggled in surprise.
"Dad, why suddenly-! I won! Where are we going!"
"To the house of truth."
I carried Hwaryeon toward home. Regardless of the outcome, as a parent I had to discipline a child who fought.
"Face the wall for an hour at home and reflect."
I can't let her get used to fighting, and I can't raise her to be a thug who leads with her fists.
As a parent, I had no choice but to scold Hwaryeon.
"Waaah! Let me go! I did nothing wrong!"
"Stop shouting like a criminal being arrested. Be quiet."
I had to be firm when needed.
Though I couldn't help feeling relieved that my child won without getting hurt, I guess that's just unavoidable from a parent's perspective.