Episode 14
“If I offer you proper sacrifices every day, when will you be able to ascend to the heavens?”
“Hmm…”
Hanin’s expression darkened, as if she had been contemplating the same question.
“To be honest… I’m not sure. This is the first time this has happened to me.”
“Even an estimate would be helpful.”
“Hmm. At least… well… I would say at least a hundred days.”
She pondered for a moment before giving her answer.
“Any intention, no matter how strong, needs at least a hundred days to move the heavens.”
A hundred days…
‘Is that even possible?’
In folktales, it was barely enough time for a bear to transform into a human. And more than enough time for an entire city to be submerged.
Joon-wan’s expression mirrored her concern.
“Is there no way to shorten that time?”
“Shorten it?”
“Like performing a gut, for example.”
As a folklorist, he knew many shamans, including some who were designated as intangible cultural assets. He could seek their help.
“A gut? A gut?”
Hanin scoffed, her arms still crossed.
“Can a human make a plant grow faster than its natural cycle, no matter how much sunlight or water they provide?”
“…”
“This is not something that can be rushed.”
“But if it rains for that long, all the crops will die.”
Joon-wan realized he was becoming increasingly invested in the situation.
Just last night, he had firmly believed she was a con artist. But the rain showed no signs of stopping.
“People and animals could be harmed too, and even plants.”
The first news every morning was about the unseasonal heavy rain in Yongdam City. If it continued for a hundred days, the city would be underwater.
What did it matter if he was being deceived? He had nothing to lose.
Hanin sighed at his words.
“I know that better than anyone. But what can I do if there’s no other way? It was supposed to be a brief shower, just while I passed from the earth to the heavens.”
She didn’t say it explicitly, but Joon-wan sensed her frustration and blame. He felt guilty.
‘She would be in the heavens by now if it weren’t for me.’
He wished he could turn back time.
“I don’t want to harm humans either. So, I’ll try to find a solution. But Min… Joon-wan, was it? I have a question.”
“A question?”
“Yes.”
It was the first time she had asked him anything personal.
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
Joon-wan frowned, not understanding her question. Hanin uncrossed her arms, rested her elbows on the table, and cupped her chin in her hands.
“You see, while you might feel guilty for causing me to fall from the heavens, and you might be concerned about the farmers’ crops…”
Joon-wan listened silently, still unsure of her intentions.
“This situation doesn’t actually affect you, does it?”
She smiled faintly.
“You might feel a sense of responsibility, but who else knows about this besides you and me? In my experience with humans, they only take action when it directly benefits them, when there’s something in it for them.”
“…”
“I’m not saying you’re a bad person. But you don’t fully believe me, do you? Half of you still doubts me, thinking I’m a con artist.”
She leaned her face on her clasped hands, her eyes fixed on him with a gentle smile. Strangely, she seemed much older at that moment.
“But you see…”
She looked young enough to be mistaken for a twenty-year-old, but the sudden shift in her demeanor made Joon-wan feel like he was facing an ancient tree.
“If you want me to ascend quickly, half-hearted belief won’t suffice. The key is focus.”
She continued, her voice almost melodic.
“Human belief is a wondrous thing. If it can be focused like a single drop of water that pierces through stone, it can move the heavens and make flowers bloom on barren rock.”
Joon-wan listened, captivated by her words.
“It’s not just the people of this land who will suffer if your heart is divided. I desire to ascend to the heavens even more than you do.”
She unclasped her hands and extended one towards the center of the table.
“This world has forgotten me, and this land is no longer a place where I can thrive. I’ve spoken for too long. So, I want to take that half of your heart that doubts me.”
There was a vase on the table with a single flower, its species unknown to Joon-wan. He knew it was artificial.
Her hand grasped the flower’s stem.
“To motivate you, I’ll show you something.”
Joon-wan watched in astonishment as a new stem sprouted from the original, a bud formed at its tip, swelled, and bloomed into a real flower of the same species as the artificial one.
“…”
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Hanin released the stem as the flower reached full bloom.
“Search your heart. You must have some desire. If you help me regain my powers, I’ll not only stop the rain but also grant you one wish. To the best of my ability.”
Her voice was sweet and alluring.
“Unlike humans, I don’t lie. What reason would I have to? Focus on that wish as you pray for me. Who knows, I might even ascend in twenty-one days.”
“…”
“Do you have a loved one who is ill? I can heal them. Do you desire wealth and prosperity? A granary overflowing with grain, a treasure that doubles anything you put inside?”
He was still reeling from the unbelievable miracle, but Hanin pressed on.
“There’s nothing I can’t do. Even passing the state examination is a simple matter for me. Once I regain my powers. However, I cannot harm anyone, and I don’t think you would wish for such a thing.”
A wish?
“Think carefully. This is a rare opportunity.”
‘A wish?’
He had never wished for anything before, but her words stirred something within him.
He stared at her and the two flowers, one real and one artificial, sprouting from a single stem, when the waiter entered.
“What would you like to order?”
“What do you have?”
Hanin’s eyes sparkled.
“We have lotus leaf rice and herring roe bibimbap.”
“I’ll have the lotus leaf rice. What about you?”
“The same…”
He couldn’t imagine anyone remaining unfazed after witnessing this.
‘This… can’t be a trick.’
He had chosen the restaurant. The flower on the table was a pure coincidence.
Or was it…?
“…”
Doubt crept in.
‘Magicians can perform illusions like this.’
He desperately wanted to touch the flower in the vase, but the food arrived.
“What is this made of? It’s amazing!”
Hanin exclaimed, savoring every bite.
“Can I have that if you’re not going to eat it?”
She was even more enthusiastic about the sikhye (sweet rice drink) with pine nuts and the sticky hangwa (traditional Korean confectionery).
Perhaps it was because she had eaten so much so suddenly.
In the car, Hanin started nodding off, her eyelids drooping. She leaned her head against the window and relaxed her body. She seemed to be asleep.
Do dragons sleep? Even in human form?
But when would the rain stop?
As the car stopped at a red light, Joon-wan looked at the flower he had discreetly taken from the restaurant.
A real flower blooming from an artificial stem. There were no signs of glue or attachments, and the petals were fresh and moist.
‘This is impossible.’
But what about everything else he had experienced? Was any of it possible?
The dragon, in human form, had literally “made a flower bloom on barren rock.”
‘But how?’
He barely managed to suppress the urge to show the flower to Young-shin, his friend who was a professor of life sciences.
At this point, denial was futile. He was caught up in something extraordinary. Something truly bizarre.
Before the light changed, he turned his head and looked at the woman in the passenger seat. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open, her expression as innocent as a child’s.
It was hard to believe, but the being beside him was a dragon. Denying it would only lead to stagnation.
He had to either completely reject her claims or fully embrace them. His rational mind urged him to choose the former, but after witnessing so many miracles, he couldn’t.
Then what about the latter?
“Human belief is a wondrous thing. If it can be focused like a single drop of water that pierces through stone, it can move the heavens and make flowers bloom on barren rock.”
The dragon desired his complete faith, a belief as unwavering as a drop of water that pierces through stone.
“It’s not just the people of this land who will suffer if your heart is divided. I desire to ascend to the heavens even more than you do.”
She had offered to grant him a wish in exchange for his unwavering belief, to make a flower bloom from stone.
“Search your heart. You must have some desire. If you help me regain my powers, I’ll not only stop the rain but also grant you one wish. To the best of my ability.”
Joon-wan gripped the steering wheel.
“Think carefully. This is a rare opportunity.”
Countless temples bearing the name “Dragon” were packed with people seeking their wishes to be granted, especially in the hundred days leading up to the college entrance exams. If she truly was a dragon, anything was possible.
—But what is your wish?
The dragon’s sweet voice echoed in his ears.