I Raised A Black Dragon

He was a cute kid, with plump white cheeks and eyes like a doll. He sipped his juice as he studied her. His eyes were dark red. Swallowing his juice, he smiled at Hee-yeon.

“Oh…”

It was a face smiling naively. There was a chill from his drawn-back lips.

“I knew it, Noah is too nice.”

An unfamiliar voice echoed in Hee-yeon’s mind.

“Muell, however, is not so nice.”

At the same time, the scene that occupied Hee-yeon's eyes broke into pieces like a glass window. Her memories from the moment she’d discovered Noah from the bus until now started to crumble. Above the traces of Noah’s brainwashing effect was another voice engraved like an imprint.

“You’re just going to remember Noah around this time of year. You are going to cry, feel guilty, and suffer nightmares.”

Wasn’t she supposed to do so to some extent? Because she had made things difficult for Noah for a long time… That’s what the deep-red eyes seemed to be saying. The kid, who took a glimpse of the increasingly dazed Hee-yeon, tilted his head lazily.

“…still, since I think you’re better than the other two. I’ll let it slide.”

What had disappeared were the two invisible magic rings around Hee-yeon’s wrists.

The man who leaned on Noah and swept her eyes turned to glance at Hee-yeon. His eyes, which she had been able to recognize at a distance, were an intense purple.

“Since our work here is done, are we going back right away?”

“No. I’m more curious about this place. And there are still many things I want to have.”

“I think you have enough…”

“I need more. A lot more.”

The man turned his eyes unsympathetically from Hee-yeon after planting a kiss on Noah’s pale cheek half-hidden under the cap. That was the end.

“Huh…”

When the time had passed—whether it was a few minutes or a few hours she did not know—and Hee-yeon suddenly came to her senses, their bodies disappeared without a trace into the sunset on the street.

Hee-yeon’s lips quivered slightly.

“Dream…”

It must have been a dream…

The young girl turned around with her feet planted. Today was the anniversary of her older sister’s death, and she was on her way home after stopping by her goshiwon*.

Weird.

She thought there were a lot of days when she’d burst into tears even though nothing had happened this time last year, but actually, it’d seemed that way until yesterday…

“…I do not hate you.”

A voice that she’d never once heard before breezed faintly past her ear. It was a very weird event.

Before long, her steps started up again. Her steps were a little lighter than before. Her form faded away, becoming part of the chaotic street scene.

This day, which something had definitely changed but at the same time hadn’t changed, was coming to an end.

***

They’d stayed in Seoul for a few more days. It was because it wasn’t like they absolutely had to return, and Muell and Kyle were really amazed by the city.

First, what Muell really loved so much was the kids’ cafe often seen in large grocery stores or shopping centers. In particular, he had fallen in love with the ball pit, and he’d gotten caught secretly throwing balls into the subspace.

On the other hand, Kyle's focus was on crawling the Seoul streets collecting used books that contained information that meant the world to him but meant nothing to Noah.

10 Korean Meals You Must Eat Before You Die.

Yoon’s Table Recipe.

How To Cook Like Your Grandmother.

The content of the last book was suspicious. This was written on the first page:

You have to feel the food!

Something about that was weird… Noah thought as she asked out of curiosity while studying the books Kyle had bought an hour ago,

“Hey, did you even read the title before buying it? I think it’s filled with some weird stuff.”

“What’s so weird about it? I chose the ones with nice illustrations.”

Noah remained silent, turning a page in How To Cook Like Your Grandmother with the nice title. She didn’t have the confidence to explain to him how to make kimchi. Or even how to make blocks of fermented soybeans…

“…why in the world did you buy it without even reading it? You always tell me not to by on impulse, Kyle.”

“What are you so worried about? Muell will do his translation magic later. And this wasn’t an impulse purchase. It’s one of my hobbies.” Kyle snatched the book away from her hand. All thirteen books he’d bought at the bookstore disappeared into Muell's subspace. His eyes were stained with satisfaction. “This should be enough.”

Noah decided not to say that it was already enough and too much. In fact, she wasn’t in a position to stop him. Besides, it was better to see the benefits if Kyle learned many more ways to cook.

“And I also bought some cleaning supplies…”

He’d bought cleaning products on top of the books, and one of them was even a lint roller that removed debris from clothing when you rolled it. But perhaps because it was not enough, he couldn't leave the street corner of the shopping center where he’d purchased the cleaning supplies until the last day.

“Is the detergent here different from Laurent?” he inquired.

“Isn’t all detergent the same?”

“How do you read this, Noah? Fabric sof… ten…”

*goshiwon – a specific living space in South Korea for someone studying for an important exam (civil service test, etc.)