Chapter 8
"Good work today."
As usual, I finished work and returned home.
I was worried the kids might have caused trouble, but...
"You all stayed put, huh?"
"Hiss-?"
"You did very well."
Except for Choryeon who came to greet me, the others were sitting together, watching TV.
Choryeon was probably sitting quietly watching TV with them too.
Even dragons seem to be glued to the TV.
"You're all hungry, right? Let's eat."
I put down the plastic bag I was holding on the table.
Curious about tonight's dinner menu, perhaps?
Hwaryeon jumped onto the table and stuck her face into the bag.
"Hiss-? Hiss-?"
"Hey, move your face. Wait patiently."
"Hiss-!!"
"You impatient little... Stay still. I'll give you something delicious soon."
Ignoring Hwaryeon's sudden protest, I took out tonight's dinner from the bag.
Tonight's dinner is none other than...
"You've never had ramen before, right? You'll be surprised when you try it."
Ramen.
Ramen is cheap, filling, tasty, and convenient.
You can even buy it in bulk for a better price.
It's a great food for common folk like me.
'Can't feed them meat every day anyway. Let's make do with ramen until I have more money.'
With the gas and water cut off, I couldn't cook meat even if I bought it.
And I'm not foolish enough to eat raw meat.
'Ramen is delicious too.'
I poured hot water from the thermos I brought from the labor office into a pot.
"Temperature's right. Water amount's right."
I roughly threw the noodles and soup powder into the pot and covered it.
Luxury items like eggs don't exist, of course.
After some time, I opened the lid to find a decent-looking ramen.
I clapped my hands to get their attention and said:
Clap-!
"Come and eat."
"Hiss-!!"
"Hiss-"
"Hisss--!"
They must have been hungry, as they immediately jumped onto the chairs.
They seemed full of anticipation, as if they'd been waiting for dinner.
I served the ramen on disposable plates I'd secretly pilfered from the office.
"Ramen is tastier than meat. And before eating, everyone should say 'Thank you for the meal'-"
"Hiss-!!"
"...Completely ignoring dad's words."
Hwaryeon stuck her head in the bowl and started slurping the noodles before I could finish speaking.
Slurp- Slurp-
It was quite fast.
Seeming to like the taste, she shouted loudly as soon as she emptied the bowl.
"Hiss-!!"
"You want more?"
"Hiss-!"
Hwaryeon nodded her head vigorously.
It was so fast I could barely follow with my eyes.
I was tempted to give Hwaryeon a flick on the forehead, but I held back since we were at the table.
Table manners are important, after all.
'I wonder if the others are eating well.'
Suryeon was eating the ramen decently enough.
The difference from Hwaryeon was that Suryeon wasn't slurping the noodles but cutting them to eat.
Seeing her glance at Hwaryeon eating next to her, it seemed she didn't like the slurping sound much.
She seemed to be eating well without needing to be told.
I turned my head to check on Choryeon.
"Hiss-?"
"You're eating well."
"Hiss-!"
She wasn't eating with great gusto, but Choryeon was timidly slurping the noodles, taking her time.
She stuck out her tongue and panted, perhaps finding the ramen spicy.
Still, I was glad she didn't seem to dislike it.
'I thought I'd have to feed them meat every day. I'm glad they're all eating well.'
With so much debt to repay,
I can't have all my earnings going to food expenses.
From today, the dragons' staple food is decided to be ramen, not meat.
"Any dragon who wants more ramen, speak up! I'll give you more!"
"Hiss-! Hiss-!"
It was a very ordinary, common dinner time.
***
Meals are solved with ramen, but the biggest problem is something else.
"Hmm, what about water?"
Click- Click-
No matter how desperately I turn the faucet, no water comes out.
We can't wash or do basic living like this.
"At least I can get drinking water from the labor office if needed..."
The future looks bleak.
We can't leave the water problem as it is.
But even if I go to the landlord, I'll probably just be told to move out.
It's right to move out if you don't have money, after all.
"If I were alone, I could go somewhere else. But now I'm not alone..."
Sigh-
This is so frustrating.
Should I just close my eyes and sell a kidney?
As my worries about water were reaching such extreme thoughts,
"...Hiss."
Uncharacteristically, Suryeon started tapping my ankle with her front paw.
Surprised, I asked Suryeon:
"You usually don't care about me. Suryeon, what's wrong? Dad's busy."
"Hiss- Hiss-"
Suryeon passed by me and went into the bathroom.
When I stood still, she stopped and stared at me.
"Hiss-"
"What?"
"Hiss-"
"You want me to follow?"
Nod-
Suryeon nodded and headed deeper into the bathroom.
Then, she stood in front of a washbasin lying on the bathroom floor.
'What is she trying to do?'
I had no idea what she was up to.
Just as I was about to ask directly why she wanted me to follow her,
Suryeon slightly opened her mouth towards the washbasin.
And then.
"Hiss-"
Release.
Swoosh-
Water began pouring from Suryeon's mouth into the washbasin.
That water soon started creating a small lake in the basin.
Like a statue spitting water in a bathhouse.
Suryeon filled the large washbasin completely with her water.
'...She can spew water too?'
I learned about Suryeon's new ability.
"Hiss-"
Suryeon gave me a look as if to say I could use it freely.
Then, she coolly left the bathroom and headed for the TV.
Left alone in the bathroom, I stared at the washbasin full of Suryeon's water.
"...Did she make water for me because I looked like I needed it?"
I thought she only avoided my hand and didn't care about me, but she has a cold yet cute side.
"You couldn't stand seeing your dad in trouble, right? So you do think of me as your dad, Suryeon."
I'll fully acknowledge you as my daughter now too.
Suryeon's name was written in the family register of my heart.
'But still.'
I wonder if it's okay for me to use this water.
Even if it was made by my daughter.
"Isn't this saliva?"
It's saliva generated and expelled from Suryeon's mouth.
It looks fine on the outside, and there's no problem when I touch it.
But the essence of this liquid is saliva.
Dragon saliva, at that.
Which means...
"...I could sell this for a high price, couldn't I?"
If I said I was selling dragon saliva, the line of buyers would wrap around the Earth.
They say eating a dragon's heart grants eternal life.
I've heard that leaders of various countries are searching for dragon-related items for health and longevity.
In that sense, this washbasin filled with Suryeon's saliva could sell for quite a high price.
"If it could be sold without any danger, that is."
That's realistically impossible, and selling dragon-related items would put us in danger.
So, I decided to stop this useless train of thought.
Unlike before, I'm not alone now.
There's no need to shoulder unnecessary risks.
Besides, this is the first gift from Suryeon.
I should use it myself.
"I'll use this for washing."
So I stored Suryeon's saliva—
No, the precious water my daughter made for me, in the corner of the bathroom.
"I guess I could drink it sometimes when I'm thirsty? It's not saliva. This isn't saliva, it's water..."
Little did I know what changes this water would bring to my body.
***
"I'm off. Don't cause trouble and stay put. Got it?"
"Snore-"
"..."
"Hisss--!"
Bang-!
Lee Ha-jun firmly closed the iron door and left for work.
Breakfast and lunch were leftover dry ramen from yesterday.
Sprinkled with soup powder and mixed, it looked like snacks.
Suryeon carried the plate in her mouth to the TV and started eating breakfast.
"Hiss-"
Crunch-! Crunch-!
It was annoying having to chew it herself.
Overall, she didn't like the texture.
But Suryeon didn't complain.
"Hiss-"
It can't be helped.
She understood the situation to some extent.
Suryeon was rationally understanding the circumstances.
-Choryeon. Come eat too. When Hwaryeon wakes up, there might not be any left for you.
-But it hurts my mouth when I eat that...
-Eat it anyway. It's edible.
-Okay...
Choryeon didn't like it, but she put the dry ramen in her mouth and bit down.
Crunch-!
-Ugh, it hurts! But I'll eat it because Dad gave it to us... Ouch...!
Choryeon complained a little, but continued chewing the dry ramen.
Right after, Hwaryeon, woken by the chewing sound, shouted in surprise.
-What, you're eating that sneakily by yourselves? Give me some too!
Crunch-! Crunch-!
Hwaryeon roughly chewed the dry ramen with her hard teeth.
As the dragons' light breakfast time passed,
As usual, the dragons gathered in front of the TV to observe the world.
They learned how the world works and what humans look like.
Imagining the human forms they each wanted to become.
About human appearances, not dragon ones.
They were gradually getting more specific.
-Hwaryeon.
-What, Suryeon.
-Hwaryeon. Do you want to be a man or a woman?
-Do I have to choose just one? I was planning to be both.
-...Don't be greedy, choose one.
-I don't want to. Why should I! I'm going to be both woman and man!
-Even if we change into humans. Like we're dragons, not humans. About our identity. We have to choose one of the two. According to dragon knowledge, that's how it is.
-Tch, fine.
While exchanging conversations and modifying information, in the absence of their parent, the dragons were gradually trying to become closer to humans.