Seoul Dragon

“Ugggh…”

As soon as I got home, I literally collapsed.
After attending Dialectology with Hangyeol, and then another class.
Then meeting Jo Minhyuk and Heo Jihwan who came looking for me after hearing the news.
The rumors had completely spread throughout the department. Understandably so.
Not just the department, but probably the entire university?
Soon there might be reporters visiting Hanguk University to interview me.
The fact that I was previously male had also been revealed, but I didn’t particularly mind. The mutation itself was already the talk of the town, so gender was a minor detail.

“Why do you look like a zombie?”

My sister, who had arrived home before me, asked.

“I thought I was going to die trying to act like a social person.”
“Ah, you revealed everything? Rumors about that reached our department too.”
“It’s already spread to the Business department?”
“Yes. ‘A dragon-type mutant appeared in Korean Literature!’ Something like that. When rumors spread from the Humanities College, they quickly covered the entire university community. Here, take a look.”
“Ugh… I see.”
“But what’s this about being social? Didn’t you say you only have a few close friends in your department?”
“I went to the department lounge for the first time in ages to meet those few friends.”
“Now that’s a world-changing event.”

“And remember I told you I saved someone from a minotaur-type mutant?”
“Yes.”
“Turns out she’s my junior.”
“What?”
“So I met her today and we got a bit closer.”
“Is it a guy or a girl?”
“A girl. The Korean Literature department is female-dominated anyway, so there are barely five or six male juniors.”
“Ah, right.”

“Anyway, as we were getting closer, I somehow met a classmate in the same course, and went to the department lounge with him, and when I told my other classmates ‘I’ve mutated!’… other juniors started slinking over.”
“You’ve become a total social butterfly.”
“I know. The reaction was completely different from when I entered the lounge as a male.”
“Well, the fact that your face was intimidating when you were male is a fact, right? It’s strange to think anyone would approach you when you were expressionless with that face.”
“Don’t hit me with such harsh truths suddenly. Anyway… today made me realize for sure. I’m not cut out to be social.”
“Why? You spoke normally.”

“It’s mentally exhausting. I don’t know what to say, and even when I speak, I find myself constantly checking people’s reactions. I thought I was going to die from fatigue. Being with people drains my energy. Especially when they’re not close friends.”
“Yes, yes. I’m sure that’s how you feel.”
“Moreover, if I go to the opening assembly, juniors will be burning with curiosity, asking me all sorts of things… This is serious. Should I have built a wall from the start?”

“Why don’t you just drink some alcohol and put on a fire show?”
“Are you crazy? Would I ever do something like that?”
“Why not? You never know when you get caught up in the atmosphere. In my opinion, you’re going to be the star of the Korean Literature department.”
“I have no desire to become anything like that.”
“Even with the dragon’s gracious body, your asocial tendencies remain unchanged.”
“I know. I feel like I’ve gained some confidence in my behavior lately, but it doesn’t seem like my most fundamental nature has changed. After all, I still love staying at home the most.”
“Well, whatever you say. Oh, by the way.”
“What?”

“Come visit the Business department sometime later.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Heh, well, that’s what I expected.”
“Ah, I don’t know. I should stay away from the department lounge for a while now.”
“Will that be easy? People will keep poking their heads in out of curiosity to see you.”
“I guess that’s true, huh?”
“If you decided to come out, you have to endure it. What else can you do?”
“Oh my goodness.”

Especially today, I find myself thinking more about it.
How are the physical and mental structures of people who gain energy from meeting others configured?
So much of my energy is being drained that I don’t even feel like doing anything.
I don’t know. Let’s sleep a bit first and think about it after waking up.

* * *

My coming out started from a simple thought.
As a dragon-type mutant, I would inevitably attract attention, and if someone like me approached people in a friendly manner, wouldn’t it help improve the perception of mutants?
The approach itself might not be bad.
The problem is that I’m someone who feels extremely tired when interacting with others.
When I woke up from my nap, I saw my younger sister fiddling with her smartphone.

“Oh, you’re up?”

Sensing my presence, she spoke without taking her eyes off her smartphone.

“Yeah.”
“Are you feeling less tired?”
“A little? But I’m still exhausted. Ugh, it’s so mentally painful.”
“But why are you trying to graduate from university?”
“Because I’ve already paid the tuition.”
“No, no. That’s not what I mean. Can’t the current you earn plenty of money doing whatever you want?”
“…That’s true.”

Frankly speaking, I could rake in money if I wanted to.
Since I can manipulate weather, I could contract with the government to prevent forest fires, disasters, etc., in exchange for money.
Just in Seoul alone, how many places get flooded during summer downpours?
It would be a win-win if they offered me a reasonable level of compensation, as I could prevent countless property damages caused by heavy rain.
If I really needed quick cash, I could even take down all the wanted mutants and claim their bounties.

But why don’t I do that? It was for a very trivial reason.
The title of being a Hanguk University student was something I’d achieved through desperate effort when I was ordinary.
I pride myself on having worked at least twice as hard as others.
From high school when my brain was already somewhat rigid, I put in effort with my slow mind even though my parents didn’t force me to study.
Others might think it’s trivial.

After all, a school’s reputation is ultimately for getting a job and earning money, and as a mutant, I wouldn’t need to put much effort into earning money.
But that’s precisely why what I struggled to achieve as an ordinary person is precious.
Even if it’s just time spent leisurely exchanging jokes with classmates at university.
That time itself is something achieved by the rough-looking male Yoon Seohyun, who can never return.
That’s why it’s precious, and that’s why I can’t help but place great value on these moments themselves.

“Just… it’s a trace of the effort I put in before I mutated. That’s why it’s precious. Like you said, I could earn as much money as I want. But each person pursues different values. It’s not like I’m in desperate need of money right now.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Anyway, there’s a reason why I continue to care about tuition and university. I don’t live thoughtlessly like you.”

“Oh, what are you saying? Why are you suddenly criticizing me? I live thoughtfully too, you know?”
“Yes, whatever you say. So, what about dinner?”
“Not yet. I was waiting for you to wake up. What should we eat?”
“Let’s see… something light rather than heavy. How about udon?”
“Delivery?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to go out anymore. I’ve had enough outdoor activity for today.”

* * *

“Huh…”
“What?”

While slurping up my udon, I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

“I’m amazed at how quickly rumors spread. The post on the university community has already been turned into news articles by reporters.”
“What did they say?”
“Dragon-type mutant appears at Hanguk University… Is it the mutant who subdued the minotaur-type mutant?… Articles with this kind of feeling have suddenly appeared. And they’ve even included that I’m a Hanguk University student… even specifically mentioning that I’m a Korean Literature student.”
“Don’t you think reporters might be camping outside the Korean Literature department tomorrow? Public interest in mutants is already high, and you’re both the latest to mutate and a dragon.”
“…I guess so.”

For a moment, my vision blurred. Should I have been more cautious?
No, no. Given the situation, the only option is to face it head-on.

“I might as well catch a reporter from a credible newspaper instead of the yellow press and do an interview.”
“That’s quite proactive?”
“The reason I came out in the first place was hoping that safe mutants could have a slightly more comfortable daily life. It’ll just be a bit tiring.”
“What if you get exploited? Like they twist your words and publish strange articles. Isn’t that what trashy reporters do these days?”
“Stop it. If they try to use me for their own benefit, I’ll just cause a scene. To warn them not to mess with me. Or I could ask for help from that National Intelligence Service agent I mentioned before. I’m not that naive.”
“Well, do what you think is best. But try not to use physical force if possible.”
“That’s obvious. But I can threaten them a bit, right?”
“If you’re threatening… what, drop some lightning?”
“No? I’ll just create a house-sized fireball and show it to them. Then they’ll cower in fear, realizing I’m not someone to mess with. Ah, or should I transform into a dragon?”
“What’s that about?”
“I’m not called a ‘dragon’-type mutant for nothing. Of course I can take a dragon form.”
“…That’s the first time I’m hearing about this?”
“It occurred to me yesterday.”

“Huh… So, how big are you when you transform into a dragon?”
“I’m not sure. In dragon form, my wings alone are about 4 meters long, so I’d be much bigger? I’d prefer not to transform if possible, though.”
“I just hope those trashy reporters don’t upset you. Once you snap, you cause accidents. I still remember you having to pay hundreds of thousands in settlement money.”
“Haha… I’ll try not to. But if they provoked me that much, wouldn’t it be the reporters’ fault?”
“Whatever you say, of course.”