Chapter 56
"I'm off. Everyone—"
"We'll behave and stay out of trouble."
"...Right. See you later."
Slam!
Early thatmorning, Dad left with a sour face. Suryeon then headed to the living room.
"Mmm... hmm..."
"Zzzz..."
Hwaryeon and Choryeon were still fast asleep.
"Wake up, you silly dragons."
Poke, poke—
Suryeon prodded their bodies with her toes. Groaning, Hwaryeon and Choryeon stirred.
"What is it? I was sleeping so well..."
"Suryeon, you'd better have a good reason for waking me, or I'll lose it!"
Hwaryeon and Choryeon pouted, voicing their complaints. Suryeon, expressionless, pointed at the dining table.
"Dad made breakfast before he left. It'll get cold."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
"Okay, that's a fair reason..."
Scurry, scurry—
Eyes half-closed, Hwaryeon and Choryeon rushed to the table. Fried eggs and sausages awaited them.
"Let's dig in!"
"Thank you for the meal."
"Time to eat...!"
Munch, munch—
The kids ate quickly before the food could cool, chewing thoroughly.
"All done!"
After cleaning their plates, the children carried their dishes to the sink. They gave them a quick rinse.
"Hurry up with those dishes! Dad will flip if we don't clean up!"
No one wanted to hear that lecture.
After moving all the plates to the sink, the kids turned their attention to the top of the fridge. Snacks were neatly arranged up there.
"Ha! You think we can't reach them? Don't underestimate us dragons! Everyone, take your positions!"
"Roger that."
"Got it, Hwaryeon unnie!"
Pitter-patter!
Suryeon and Choryeon dragged a chair from the table to the fridge.
"I'm going up! Jump!"
Hwaryeon leaped, landing lightly on the chair. Suryeon and Choryeon steadied her so she wouldn't fall.
"Hurry up, unnie."
"H-hold on! I can't quite reach! Why did Dad put them so high? He should know we'd find a way!"
Stretch, stretch—
Hwaryeon reached for the tasty snacks with all her might. On tiptoes, she leaned as far as she could.
"Got it!"
Grab!
Finally, Hwaryeon snagged the snacks. After breaking a sweat, she managed to get three packages. Gathering the kids, Hwaryeon handed out the spoils.
"Time to divvy up! Suryeon gets the corn snacks! Choryeon likes chocolate, so here's yours! And I'll take the potato chips!"
"Fine by me."
"Thanks, Hwaryeon unnie!"
It was a somewhat fair distribution.
The kids happily munched on their assigned snacks. Suryeon played with hers, sticking the snacks on her fingers.
"Dragon Claw."
Swoosh, swoosh—
When the others weren't looking, Suryeon had her fun in the corner. After enjoying their brief snack time...
"I'm bored. What should we do?"
Suryeon hit a wall. She liked playing alone best, but…
That was only when she had a smartphone. Since Ha-jun took it to work, Suryeon was now just a bored couch potato.
"...What to do? I've read all the books."
She'd finished "The Little Prince," and "The Stranger" was stuck on page 10. No books to read, nothing to do. So, Suryeon made up her mind.
"I'm going outside."
"What did you say, Suryeon unnie...?"
"I'm going out to see the world. There's nothing left to learn in here."
Jump!
Suryeon got up and headed for the front door. Choryeon immediately grabbed her pants leg to stop her.
"N-no...! unnie...! Dad told us not to cause trouble...! We can't...!"
"Don't try to stop me, Choryeon. I've decided. I'm going out. There's nothing more to learn here."
"You're just bored and acting on impulse, aren't you, Suryeon unnie...?!"
"..."
Suryeon clamped her mouth shut. Choryeon was right.
'Choryeon. You're pretty sharp.'
Truth was, she just wanted to go out because she was bored. Suryeon dragged Choryeon, who was still clinging to her leg, towards the front door. And then...
Click!
Finally, she opened the door. Panicking, Choryeon called out to Hwaryeon for help.
"H-Hwaryeon unnie! Please help me! Suryeon unnie's lost her mind! She's trying to go outside!"
Please, please help!
Choryeon looked at Hwaryeon with desperate eyes. But Hwaryeon couldn't care less.
"Masked Ranger's about to start! I'm busy!"
"H-Hwaryeon unnie..."
"No way! Go back! I'm not helping! Suryeon can handle herself!"
She's a dragon, after all. What's there to worry about?
"She'll be fine on her own!"
"But aren't you worried...?"
"She'll be the only one in trouble anyway! Give Suryeon her freedom already!"
"O-okay..."
Dejected, Choryeon reluctantly let go. Suryeon smiled slightly, feeling liberated.
"I'm free now. I'll be back later."
Swish—
Suryeon hid her horns and tail, pulled up her hood, and headed out.
"T-take care...! Suryeon unnie...!"
Choryeon waved goodbye with worried eyes as Suryeon left. Suryeon gave a quick nod and climbed the stairs to the outside world.
"Solo adventure in the outside world."
Muttering what sounded like a web novel title, Suryeon set off, brimming with curiosity and excitement, unaware of how harsh the real world could be.
"This is gonna be fun."
It was an action born from a dragon's typical arrogance.
***
There's one good thing about going out alone. You can wander wherever you want, however you want.
"What's this building for?"
Hmm.
"Maybe I'll check it out."
Suryeon walked towards a half-collapsed building, curiosity piqued. With walls mostly crumbled, wind whistling through, she explored inside, stepping on small brick debris.
"Doesn't look like anyone lives here. Well, I heard it gets cold at night. Humans with their weak bodies would freeze to death in a place like this."
After checking out everything up to the roof, Suryeon headed down the stairs to go somewhere else.
On the way, she spotted something interesting on the steps.
"This is what they call a syringe. Why's it here? I thought these were used in hospitals."
Strange. It's not something you'd expect to find in a place like this.
Suryeon tilted her head, examining the syringe closely. Then she came to a conclusion.
"If there's something from a hospital here, there must be sick people nearby."
Why else would it be in a place like this?
"Well, I've learned something new."
Smirk—
Suryeon felt a bit amused as she left the building. Then she walked down the street, just like before.
"Where to next? How about here?"
She noticed an eerie-looking alley. Intrigued by the strange vibe, Suryeon stepped into the alley.
"I should at least check out why it feels dangerous."
Curiosity leading the way, Suryeon ventured deeper into the darkening alley. As she went further, she had to cover her nose from the smell.
"...What's that smell? I-I've never smelled anything like this before. My nose hurts."
The unfamiliar stench made her head ache. Suryeon covered her nose with her clothes and went deeper into the alley, determined to find the source of the smell.
"...I'm so curious. I need to see it with my own eyes."
I won't be able to sleep if I don't find out.
Suryeon pressed on into the dark alley.
"How much further do I have to go?"
Deeper, and deeper still.
Suryeon was starting to get annoyed with no end in sight. Then finally, she emerged from the alley into a wide open street.
"..."
And that street was nothing like what Suryeon had imagined.
"What is this place...?"
Suryeon muttered, bewildered by the scene before her.
"The smell... What on earth are these humans doing...?"
Countless people lay in the street with empty cans in front of them. Humans with long hair and beards reached for their stomachs. Flies buzzed around them.
Suryeon's jaw dropped in shock.
"A-are these humans...? They're so different from the humans I know..."
What could these humans be lying around for?
Suryeon stood still, observing the scene. Perhaps sensing her presence, one of the homeless people lifted his head and spoke to her.
"Oh, a child..."
Snap!
At those words, all the homeless people raised their heads.
"A child in a place like this..."
"How long has it been since we've seen a child...?"
"Catch... Catch her right now...!!"
With that, the homeless people began rushing towards Suryeon. Suryeon met their malicious gazes as they swarmed together.
"S-stay back...! Don't come near me...!! W-water cannon...!"
Splash!!
Suryeon shot water from her palm and quickly ran back towards the alley she came from.
"Catch her...! Don't let her escape...!!"
"It's a child who's awakened magic...!! We must catch her at all costs...!!"
Huff, huff—
Suryeon fled from the humans reaching out for her from behind, desperate not to get caught.
"S-stay away...! Humans...!"
This was her first time facing human malice directly.
Suryeon ran hard, forgetting she was even a dragon.
"D-Dad...! Help me...!"
With tears in her eyes, the young child ran through the dark alley on short legs, desperately calling for her dad.