Seoul Dragon

An Soyoung, a reporter for The Korea Daily, clutched her head.
It was because of a figure her boss had ordered her to interview at all costs.
Soyoung slightly raised her head and checked the photo that had recently set the internet ablaze.
Massive wings spread out to both sides, and the bright, innocent smile of a child in her arms.
The image of a woman holding a child and smiling as if finding the child adorable gave a distinctly different impression from what people generally knew about mutants.
‘Mutant Yoon Seohyun.’
That was clearly the name of the person in the photo.
Soyoung now had to go interview Seohyun.
‘Wait, is this right? What if I go and die? Remember those three reporters from Swiftree who died? Killed by that minotaur-type mutant.’
Her mind became complicated.
Of course, she wasn’t a trash reporter from a tabloid like Swiftree, but she was still definitely a reporter.
And mutants are very hostile to reporters. They want her to approach such a person and get an interview?
It was practically asking her to go die.
Just looking at the video captured near the park recently, it was clear how terrifying this beautiful mutant in the photo really was.
A pillar of fire soaring high into the sky.
Firepower that was hard to believe a single individual could produce on the spot.
Was she supposed to get an interview from someone who now made her question whether they should even be categorized as human?
She’d have to either protest to her boss somehow or say she couldn’t do it.
After all, she wanted to live for many more years.
This wasn’t why she had worked so hard to get into one of Korea’s three major newspapers.
But… her attempt was destined to fail immediately.
“It has to be you, Soyoung. You’re the only one who handles columns related to mutants. It’s your job to begin with. Think about it—a mutant who’s at the center of attention right now, and The Korea Daily exclusively writing an article about this dragon-type mutant. How much attention would that draw?”
“But, senior, this isn’t right. I really don’t want to die…”
“Hey, even that person who wrote the post said the mutant is a really good person. Let’s try to get an interview in this opportunity, okay?”
“Usually, it’s the nice ones who are scarier when they get angry.”
“Tsk, are you going to keep this up? I just told you, dealing with mutants has always been your job. Why are you acting like this when you’ve been enthusiastic about it from the start?”
“Ugh…”
It was true. It was Soyoung herself who had been actively involved in mutant-related matters all this time. It was because the mystery of mutants had moved her heart.
But that was only before the three reporters were murdered.
Since then, she had deliberately avoided covering mutant-related stories as much as possible.
She thought it would be fine that way… but why was upper management assigning such a task to a mere reporter?
“But why did this order suddenly come down from above?”
“I don’t know. There’s a rumor that there was a directive from higher-ups to change the social perception of mutants to be a bit more positive.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I don’t know the details either. How would low-level reporters like us know about the affairs of the higher-ups? Anyway, give it a try. Try not to touch on sensitive topics that could become landmines.”
Soyoung realized she had nowhere left to retreat. The higher-ups probably tried to assign this to other reporters too. Eventually, it reached her, a low-level employee.
If she keeps refusing, only she will be in a difficult situation.
“…Alright, alright. I’ll do it, okay?”
“The one who gets the credit if the article is a hit is you, so take it easy.”
“Then why don’t you do it, senior?”
“Oh, I have other assignments to cover.”
Her boss said that and casually slipped away. What a terrible person. He talks about wanting achievement but doesn’t lift a finger for jobs like this.
She sighed.
Since this mutant Yoon Seohyun didn’t use social media, there was no way to obtain her personal contact… so she had to go all the way to Hanguk University.
“I guess I’ll have to stick around the university like a bamboo shoot for a while…”

Uh, hmm. What kind of situation is this?
As I entered the Humanities College, a woman with a haggard appearance was looking at me with flashing eyes.
Is she crazy…?
As I was thinking that, she ran toward me at an incredible speed.
I looked at the haggard woman who approached me.
“Excuse me, do you have time right now?”
“I don’t believe in whatever you’re selling.”
“No, no. I’m not from Shincheonji or anything like that…! I’m from The Korea Daily! Here, here’s my business card!”
The somewhat awkward-looking reporter hurriedly handed me her business card.
An Soyoung, reporter for The Korea Daily.
Wow… so reporters do come after all.
Maybe she came with a gambling mindset because I showed kindness to people three days ago.
I thought they wouldn’t come because that nameless murderous minotaur I caught had instilled fear in reporters.
Not to mention the dazzling fire show I performed yesterday.
Normally, they wouldn’t even think about interviewing me… but it seems Yoonseoh’s father’s post yesterday acted as some sort of catalyst.
It was a good opportunity. I wanted to say that not all mutants in the world are bad.
“Ex-excuse me, if you have time, could we do a simple interview?”
“Ah, it’s a bit difficult right now. I have a lecture soon…”
“Ah, yes, yes! Of course! If you could tell me a time that works for you, I’ll wait in front of the Humanities College…!”
“Since it’s Monday… um, around 4 PM my lectures should all be finished. Do you see that cafe? Could we meet there?”
“Yes!”

“What? A reporter?”
As classes were coming to an end, Hangyeol’s eyes widened at the news that a reporter was waiting for me.
“She said she wants to interview me later.”
“Isn’t that good? If it’s The Korea Daily, they’re not your typical trash reporters.”
I nodded at Sihyun’s words, who was next to me. Certainly, it would be better than tabloids like Swiftree.
“Yes. So I’m planning to respond positively to the interview.”
“Don’t say anything weird.”
“I won’t. Reporters have suffered a lot from mutants, so they must be cautious.”
“…True, just looking at what you’ve done, they probably won’t ask you sensitive questions. It’s literally a matter of life and death for them.”
“That’s why I agreed. Since I know reporters can’t treat me carelessly. Come to think of it, what that minotaur did has actually helped me. Anyway, I should get going now.”
“Take care, see you tomorrow.”
“See you.”
“See you tomorrow, Senior!”

“Ah, you’re here! Hello. I’m An Soyoung, reporter for The Korea Daily. Nice to meet you again.”
“I’m Yoon Seohyun, dragon-type mutant.”
“Um, could I take a photo? For the article…”
“Sure, whatever.”
Ms. An Soyoung took a photo as soon as she saw me. In other words, for the thumbnail.
“Then, I’ll start the interview.”
“Yes. Ah, before we start, let me make this clear. I know the public’s perception of mutants, and I agreed to this interview to change that perception to be a bit more positive.”
“I’ll keep that in mind as I conduct the interview. When did you become a mutant?”
“Six months ago from now. The mutation started in March, and I woke up in June.”
“I see… So it took you three months for the mutation?”
“Yes. That’s why the changes in the world were disconcerting.”
“You’ve been involved in several significant events since becoming a mutant. Subduing the minotaur-type mutant, and the happening in the park.”
“Ah, haha. About that… what happened with the minotaur was that it was causing a disturbance at a cafe in front of my rented room. So I thought I should subdue it quickly.”
“Were you confident that you could subdue it?”
“Yes. It was an unfounded confidence, but… somehow, I felt like I wouldn’t lose. So I fought, and fortunately, I won easily.”
“I heard you called down lightning…”
“Yes. I can control lightning and fire. I can also bring out wings, but they’re too big, so I usually keep them tucked away.”
“Usually, when such incidents happen, not many people would step up just because it’s in front of their home. I’m curious about what led you to take action.”
“The first thing I heard after waking up was the world’s perception of mutants. With the previous minotaur mutant and other mutants causing trouble all over the world… I thought, ‘I shouldn’t be like that.’ Even though I became a mutant, I’m still a member of society. I wanted to let people know that not all mutants are bad.”
“I see… It would have been nice if many people thought like you, Seohyun. By the way, you’re a student at Hanguk University. It seems like you could make money just with your current abilities, but why do you insist on remaining a student?”
“Hmm, I didn’t want to waste the efforts I made before my mutation. I worked incredibly hard to get into Hanguk University. In contrast, now I can do anything, and I’ve gained various abilities that make me far from ordinary, but I don’t think the value of my efforts back then is small at all. So I definitely plan to get my degree.”
“What do you plan to do after graduation? Personally, I think you could venture into modeling with your visuals.”
“I don’t know… I’ll have to think about that later. I believe that the power I’ve gained wasn’t just given to me for my own convenience, so I’d like to do something that can help the public good if possible. Well… that’s assuming my circumstances allow it.”
As I said that, I smiled awkwardly. It was the first time I had expressed my thoughts so openly.