Episode 18
Even after dinner and brushing her teeth, Hanin remained curled up on the sofa, her expression gloomy, the television off.
“…”
Her small frame seemed to shrink even further, making her look like a ball.
This wasn’t the reaction Joon-wan had hoped for. He finished washing the dishes, scratched his temple while observing Hanin, and after a moment of contemplation, sat down beside her.
“Um, Hanin…”
“Yes?”
“When… did you become a dragon?”
He had some questions for this dragon.
“And how were you worshipped by humans? For how long?”
‘A dragon that has lived for thousands of years… what an incredible source of firsthand information!’
His curiosity as a scholar was piqued.
‘She claims to be a creature that has lived for over a thousand years, doesn’t she?’
Joon-wan’s research focused on uncovering forgotten and abandoned knowledge, a field that was itself fading into obscurity in the modern world. Who cared about folklore, legends, or the ancient customs of the common people anymore?
But he cared. And the dragon before him was one of the mythical creatures he had been studying.
“Why?”
Hanin asked with a dejected expression.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Because I study these things.”
Joon-wan replied.
“Why do you study such things? Can you make a living from it?”
“…”
“Are there even people who want to learn about this?”
It seemed that even in Hanin’s time, there weren’t many people interested in such knowledge. He was speechless at her fundamental questions, but he persisted.
“The answers to these questions would be more helpful to me than the reward you offered earlier. So, how about this?”
“What?”
“You tell me about how people lived in the past and what a dragon is, and in return, I’ll pray for you to ascend to the heavens safely.”
Hanin’s eyes lit up.
“Let’s see, what did you call me again?”
She looked like she was thinking, ‘I can easily tell you that, ahem!’
‘She’s so easy to manipulate…’
Joon-wan was actually a bit worried. She was lucky to have encountered him during her failed ascension. If she had fallen into the wrong hands, someone with malicious intentions, she could have been used for terrible purposes.
‘I’m both worried and uneasy.’
Hanin felt like a sharp sword to him, capable of both helping and harming people, depending on how she was wielded.
“As for how I became a Jiryong… hmm, I was originally just one of countless worms burrowing through the soil, before I attained sentience.”
That night, Hanin began to recount her journey to becoming a dragon.
“But there was one thing that set me apart from the other worms. And that difference determined our destinies.”
It was a captivating story, one that made Joon-wan hold his breath. He turned on his phone and started recording.
As a folklorist, where else could he find such a valuable firsthand account? The origin story of a dragon, told by the dragon herself.
“Hmm, it was…”
Hanin paused, savoring the suspense, her eyes twinkling at Joon-wan’s eagerness.
“Luck.”
‘Huh?’
He couldn’t believe his ears.
“Why? Did you expect something more?”
She regained her composure and smiled slyly.
“Do you know how many worms die every year? They’re eaten by moles, birds, and all sorts of creatures, they drown in the rain, or they’re trampled by humans. That’s their fate.”
It was true. Worms lived short, precarious lives, dying much more frequently than humans.
“Death is common and easy for them, but somehow, I managed to live for a very long time. It was pure luck. Or perhaps it was destiny.”
She counted on her fingers, trying to recall the years.
“Let’s see, how long did I live? After about a hundred years… one day, I suddenly started to think. It was a strange sensation, this thinking. And the first thought I had was…”
“…”
“I am the king of all creatures that crawl upon this earth.”
In other words, “I alone am the honored one in heaven and on earth.”
“Have you heard the saying, ‘When two thousand five hundred fish gather, one of them will inevitably become an Imugi’? The human world probably works similarly.”
Joon-wan’s eyes shone with excitement. The story was already incredible.
“When a human population grows and prospers, a leader will inevitably emerge. Perhaps that’s what happened to me.”
…If only he could prove the authenticity of this recording to the academic world.
“Around that time, humans began to worship me. They offered me various things and performed rituals to enhance my power. And of course, I helped them in return. Another hundred years passed, then another.”
Hanin fell into contemplation.
“As time went on, like a pearl forming within an oyster, I developed a Yeouiju, a dragon orb, and humans built a shrine for me… One day, I had another epiphany, and I was faced with a choice.”
“A choice?”
“Should I ascend to the heavens with the dragon orb I possessed and become a Cheonryong, a celestial dragon ruling over all creatures above and below? Or should I remain on this earth and become a Jiryong, an earth dragon governing the earth veins?”
“…”
“I pondered deeply. A close friend of mine had urged me to ascend together, but he eventually ascended alone. However, I…”
The story continued throughout the night.
“I loved this land. Why? Perhaps because I was originally an earth-dwelling worm? I don’t know. But I chose this land.”
That night, Joon-wan obtained a historical record comparable to the discovery of a hidden royal tomb, a story he couldn’t prove but was nonetheless invaluable.
“…Yawn.”
The story ended with Hanin’s yawn.
“I’m sleepy. Let’s get some rest.”
Joon-wan glanced at his watch. It was past midnight, nearing dawn.
“Do dragons… sleep?”
Hanin chuckled.
“All creatures are bound by their form. No matter how they fly or crawl, a snake is a snake, a wildcat is a wildcat, and a human is a human. And as you can see, I’m currently a ‘human,’ am I not?”
“…”
“Well, I’m going to bed.”
She seemed satisfied with having fulfilled her end of the bargain and walked confidently towards the room he had shown her the previous night.
“Whew…”
Joon-wan was left alone on the sofa.
He sighed, stopped the recording on his phone, and pinched his cheek.
‘Ouch…’
It hurt.
‘Even if her story is a lie… no, if it’s a lie, could she have fabricated it so convincingly?’
If she was a con artist, she was an incredible storyteller.
He had recorded the conversation, but he wanted to write it down to ensure he wouldn’t forget any details. He opened his laptop.
「The Ecology of Dragons」
He began transcribing the recording, creating a detailed account of Hanin’s story.
***
“Yawn…”
The next morning, as Joon-wan finished getting ready for work, Hanin emerged, her hair disheveled, yawning widely.
“Are you leaving again today?”
“Yes. I’ll be back late.”
He had a television program scheduled for today. He started to explain his work but stopped himself, realizing it would be a lengthy explanation.
“I showed you how to cook yesterday, right?”
“Yawn, yes.”
“Can you manage?”
“Yes…”
She yawned again, her mouth wide open.
“Then I’ll see you tonight.”
He felt a strange pang of guilt at her words.
“Don’t watch too much TV. You can use the microwave, but don’t touch the gas stove or go near it.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t answer the door, even if someone rings the doorbell.”
“What’s a doorbell?”
He sighed. No one would visit him anyway.
“Just pretend you’re not home, even if you hear noises outside.”
Hanin nodded. He wasn’t sure if she understood, but he had to leave to avoid being late.
“I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”
He added unnecessarily.
“If you’re good today, I’ll take you to see the real world tomorrow. So, don’t be too bored.”
***
I tilted my head.
‘Hmm, what does he mean by bored? I’m fine.’
He seemed worried, but I wasn’t bored at all.
‘He doesn’t seem like a government official. Why does he leave and return to this large stone box every day?’
I was simply curious about the human who had brought me to this world.
‘What does he teach those called students? They seem different from the students I knew.’
I had knowledge, but it was outdated and practically useless now. Even though I had lived for over a thousand years, my interactions with humans had only spanned about three hundred years.
‘And I’ve forgotten most of that.’
Just as he was curious about me, I was curious about human behavior.
It was fascinating, wasn’t it? Humans had achieved so much while I was slumbering underground.
‘But how do they dispel plagues without performing rituals…? The last time I saw them, they only used talismans and paintings to ward off plague gods.’
And they lived for less than a hundred years. Impressive indeed.
‘A hundred human years is but a fleeting dream to me…’
Ascending to the heavens immediately would have been ideal, but now that I was here, it wasn’t so bad.
“Yawn…”
After he left, I stretched and yawned widely before lying down on the long, soft object he called a “sofa.”
‘Why is this so comfortable…?’
It felt like an extension of my own body.
‘Oh, so soft and cozy.’
I turned on the television with the remote control. A wondrous spectacle unfolded before my eyes, rivaling the Jade Emperor’s clairvoyant mirror in the heavens.
‘This is entertaining.’
I could live like this for years, I thought, then a nagging worry surfaced.
‘But there’s one problem…’