Chapter 54: Dragon Kindergarten (3)

Suryeon wandered around the kindergarten alone, exploring the interior.

"I can see roughly what purpose it was built for. It's a place for children."

Cushioned floors that don't hurt when you fall. Chairs and desks sized for children's bodies.

Suryeon finished looking around the classroom labeled "Living Room" and came out into the hallway.

"A space for children. It doesn't suit me. Kindergarten… I don't like it."

Frown-

Suryeon frowned and climbed the stairs to the second floor. She could see Hwaryeon and Choryeon talking with the children.

"What's this place for?!"

"The second floor has a cafeteria and bathrooms. Want to take a look, Boss?"

"Hmph, hurry up and guide me!"

At Hwaryeon's words, her subordinates jumped forward.

"Well then, where shall we take you first, Boss?"

"To the cafeteria!"

"Yes, Boss! We'll guide you with utmost care!"

Scrape, scrape-

The children guided them around the building like local tour guides. Choryeon watched this and said with a slight grimace.

"Umm, this is all too much. Hwaryeon unnie. Is this really okay?"

"It's fine! They're my subordinates! Choryeon, if you want to boss them around, go ahead!"

"I see, Hwaryeon unnie..."

Choryeon was unable to adapt easily. So, Hwaryeon and Choryeon moved to the cafeteria following their local guides. Suryeon watched this quietly and said softly.

"A dragon mingling with humans. What is Hwaryeon thinking? I don't understand why she's acting like this."

Shake, shake-

Suryeon shook her head as if feeling sorry for them.

"Fool."

Suryeon spoke to the empty hallway and climbed the stairs to the third floor. Walking down the corridor, she opened a door and entered a small room.

Creak-

Suryeon looked around the room briefly and said.

"Is this what they call a bedroom on TV? The beds are in two levels."

A total of three bunk beds. Suryeon walked to one of the beds and picked up a teddy bear lying on it.

"...A bear? It's cute."

Squeeze, squeeze-

Suryeon pressed the bear's belly with her finger.

"It's soft. I thought bears were fierce. Why is it so cute? I want one too-"

Stop-

Suryeon stopped mid-sentence and shook her head.

"No, dolls are for children to play with. There's no way I'd want one."

I'm a dragon. I wouldn't take a cute doll even if given one. Absolutely not.

"...Take care."

Suryeon looked at the teddy bear with wistful eyes and put it back in its place.

Plop-

"..."

Before leaving the room, she took one last look at the teddy bear's smile. Suryeon walked out slowly and closed the door.

Bang-!

"..."

Suryeon stood in front of the room for a long time, clearly showing her regret.

Just then,

"Hey, what are you doing there? That's my room!"

A sudden voice shattered Suryeon's wistful mood. Suryeon coldly glared in the direction of the voice.

"Who dares to interrupt me?"

Chill-

As Suryeon glared coldly, the owner of the voice was startled and fell backward.

"Ouch!"

Thud, thud-

Suryeon slowly approached and asked in a sharp tone.

"Why are you talking to me? Do you know me? Are we close?"

"Y-You're pretty. No, that's not it! I do know you!"

Suryeon replied without changing her expression.

"I know you too. You're the human called Mingu."

"Then since we know each other, isn't it okay to talk?!"

"We're not close. I have no intention of becoming friends with you. So don't talk to me."

Suryeon coldly rebuked Mingu. Slightly intimidated by her words, Mingu squeezed his eyes shut and shouted with courage.

"What's wrong with you sisters' personalities! None of you are normal!!"

Is that so?

Suryeon replied to Mingu's words as if annoyed.

"Don't compare me to Hwaryeon and Choryeon. Unlike those two, I'm smart."

"From what I see, you're the most abnormal!"

"A genius among fools is often classified as abnormal."

"Ha, you never back down, do you?"

How can someone like this exist?

Mingu looked at Suryeon as if dumbfounded. Suryeon, not caring at all about Mingu's gaze, asked what she was curious about.

"Are you the only ones in this building?"

"Th-There are six of us living here, including the teacher, me, and the traitors."

"Hmm, I see."

Swish-

Suryeon asked her question and immediately turned her head, losing interest. At this, Mingu got up and asked Suryeon. His eyes were full of curiosity.

"What about you? Who do you live with?"

"I live with Dad, my older sister, and my younger sister."

Suryeon answered as if annoyed.

Perhaps because she looked cool and stylish, Mingu showed interest in Suryeon and continued to ask questions.

"Your home? Where do you live?"

"Nearby."

"Why don't you play with them?"

"I prefer being alone."

"Want to play together?"

"Me? With you? Why?"

The more he asked, the more annoyed Suryeon became.

Perhaps because of this, Suryeon pointed to the room and said.

"You, go in there."

"Me?"

"Who else is here? Hurry up and go in."

"Oh, okay."

Mingu, who had become a gentle lamb in front of Suryeon, entered the room without any suspicion.

As soon as Mingu went in, Suryeon naturally closed the door.

Bang-!

Then, she extended her index finger towards the doorknob.

"Water Laser Beam."

Whirr-!

A stream of water shot from Suryeon's finger and hit the doorknob. At the same time, the doorknob shattered and rolled on the floor. Mingu's confused voice echoed from inside the room.

"W-What's this! The door won't open. Suryeon, was it? Suryeon, please open the door! The door won't open!"

"Finally, some peace and quiet."

"Suryeon? Suryeon, please open the door!"

"Why do you keep calling my name? It's annoying."

The only human allowed to call my name is Dad. Who keeps calling my name as they please?

"As expected, I don't like humans. Except for Dad."

Thud, thud-

Suryeon, having successfully confined Mingu, went down the stairs. Her destination was Ha-jun.

"Dad."

Suryeon tugged on Ha-jun's sleeve as he was talking with Gu Bong-gu and said.

"Let's go home now. I want to go home."

"Already? Don't you want to play with the others?"

Lee Suryeon, the extremely introverted dragon. Suryeon, drained of energy, replied with a tired look.

"Yeah, I want to go home. I prefer being alone."

I want to use my smartphone. Suryeon felt more comfortable alone than mingling with others.

***

After hearing Suryeon's opinion, I returned home with the children. This outing had been quite fruitful.

"I can't believe Gu Bong-gu was running a kindergarten. I really didn't expect that."

I recalled the conversation I had with Gu Bong-gu.

'I'm the kindergarten principal, but I'm not the one doing the actual teaching. A young outside teacher does most of that. She handles most of the education.'

'A young teacher? Is she pretty?'

'She's married. Got married at a young age.'

'Oh.'

Unfortunately, it didn't lead to any romantic prospects. Gu Bong-gu told me to contact him if I was interested in his kindergarten. Opportunities to be educated by a proper teacher are rare.

I looked at the dragon kids sprawled out at home.

"But will they accept education from humans?"

Anyone could see they probably wouldn't attend classes. Maybe I should check. I asked Hwaryeon, who was lying on the floor doodling in a sketchbook.

"Hwaryeon."

"Yeah?"

"How would you feel if a stranger tried to teach you something?"

Hwaryeon gave a straightforward answer.

"I'd hate it! Why should they teach me anything? I don't want to listen to anyone I don't acknowledge!"

"I see."

"I won't listen to anyone weaker than me!"

This contrary kid.

Seeing this, it doesn't seem like kindergarten would be effective. They'd probably just waste time there.

'I guess we'll have to think about kindergarten when they can perfectly hide their horns and tails.'

Putting the kindergarten idea on hold for now, I opened the envelope I got from Gu Bong-gu and took out its contents. Then, I gathered the children in the living room center to get their attention.

"Ahem, everyone focus!"

"I was drawing! What is it!"

"Dad, do you want attention?"

"Oh, Father, what's that in your hand?"

Choryeon showed interest in what I was holding. The kids seemed to have no idea what it was. I put the items on the floor and said.

"Ah, these are snacks called cookies. They're very delicious."

"Is it food?!"

Jump-!

Hwaryeon immediately lunged for the snacks. I dodged Hwaryeon's body tackle and explained.

"Gu Bong-gu gave me some snacks, saying the kids' teeth might rot. There are various types, so take one each and try them."

"Gu Bong-gu! I remember that human's name! He's an ugly but kind human!"

Gu Bong-gu gained Hwaryeon's favor through snack offerings. The children stared at the three types of snacks and started contemplating.

"Hmm, what should I eat!"

"Hmm, this one looks tasty to me."

Swish-

Suryeon reached out and took one snack. It was a chocolate-coated stick snack, very easy to eat.

"Do I open it like this?"

Suryeon carefully opened the wrapper and took out the snack. She turned it around, examining it like a researcher.

"A snack called a cookie. I'll try eating it."

Suryeon brought the stick cookie to her mouth and bit it.

Crunch-

The taste must have been quite good, as Suryeon's eyes widened. It seemed to suit her taste.

Suryeon put the stick cookie in her mouth and started focusing on her smartphone. Seeing her efficiently eating the snack, I felt relieved and turned to look at Hwaryeon.

"What did you choose, Hwaryeon?"

"I chose this!"

Ta-da-!

Hwaryeon confidently held out a bag to me. It was a very basic bag of potato chips.

"This is the biggest! So it must be the tastiest!"

"That makes sense."

"Right?!"

Heave-ho-

Hwaryeon grabbed both sides of the chip bag and pulled. This seems a bit worrying.

"Why won't this open?! Argh!"

My prediction came true. She used too much strength, causing the bag to tear and chips to fly high into the air.

Crackle-!

"My snacks!"

Thud, thud, thud-

Some of Hwaryeon's chips fell to the floor.

"How clumsy."

I reached out to put Hwaryeon's chips back in the bag. However, Hwaryeon must have seen my action as an attempt to steal them.

"Don't touch! They're mine!"

Growl-

She swatted my hand away and started guarding the chips. It was like watching a dog protecting its treats. I waved my hands and said to Hwaryeon.

"Alright, you eat them all."

"Grr-! I'm going to eat them all-!"

That little pig. It's amazing she doesn't gain weight.

After watching Hwaryeon, I turned my head to check on the last target, Choryeon. Choryeon was happily eating the last remaining chocolate.

However,

"Choryeon."

"Yes, Dad!"

"What are you doing, getting it all over your face?"

She was eating with chocolate smeared all over her mouth. These dragon kids are such a handful. Unaware of my thoughts, Choryeon held out the chocolate and said.

"Hehe, it's so sweet and tasty I didn't notice! Do you want some too, Dad?"

"No, Dad's fine."

"Don't be shy, Father! Say 'ah'!"

Ah-

I was led by Choryeon's words and reluctantly took a bite of the chocolate.

"It is tasty."

"See, right?"

Choryeon smiled brightly as I ate the chocolate. Perhaps because of that, the chocolate tasted even sweeter to me.

'These kids still can't manage without me.'

I thought that to myself as I wiped Choryeon's chocolate-covered mouth.