Episode 31
While Hanin had been sweating and suffering for days, seemingly on the verge of death, Joon-wan had time to contemplate the situation.
‘Why did I bring this… Imugi who couldn’t become a dragon, down from the mountain?’
As she had said, the rain had stopped, so their connection could be considered severed.
She was a divine being who belonged on that mountain.
‘Then why didn’t I hesitate to carry her down, covered in mud?’
She would have been better off there, and so would he.
‘Was it really just guilt? Did I simply feel unable to leave her there?’
He was glad he had brought her home, but he still hadn’t reached a conclusion.
However, his desire to help her ascend to the heavens was genuine. He no longer wished to simply get rid of a burden. He truly wanted her to achieve her goal.
His initial lie, about helping her become a dragon again, stemmed from his desire to atone for ruining her life. He had no intention of using or harming her.
There were legends about Imugi who fell from the heavens and eventually became dragons.
‘Let’s find a way to help her ascend while distracting her.’
He figured something would come up if he bought himself some time. And as he continued to fabricate his story, it started to sound plausible even to him.
“How?”
Hanin, having fallen for his lie, asked,
“So, how can I become a dragon again?”
“Are you hungry?”
He reached out and gently stroked her hair, seeing her confused expression.
“I’ll prepare your offering after you’ve washed up.”
“…”
“We need to move at night, so let’s eat after you’ve showered.”
“Hmm…”
She tilted her head, but she got up and went to the bathroom.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the bathroom door close.
While she showered, he cooked rice, cleaned the apartment, which had become messy while he was caring for her, and did laundry.
The gloomy rain had stopped, and the sky was clear and bright.
“So, what are we doing tonight?”
Hanin asked as she ate her dinner with gusto.
“What are we doing that requires us to move at night? Can’t you tell me?”
“We’re going to accumulate merits.”
“Merits?”
“By volunteering for flood relief efforts.”
“Flood relief?”
The rain had stopped, but after weeks of torrential downpours, the city was flooded.
Government and military aid was pouring in, but the flooded areas needed to be drained and dried before any repairs could begin.
But how could they remove the water?
‘According to the texts, heat could dry it up, couldn’t it?’
The texts claimed that Gangcheol could dry up rivers and even rain clouds. In other words, they were giant dehumidifiers.
‘It’s worth a try.’
He drove Hanin to the lower reaches of the massive river that flowed through the city center. The flooded areas still resembled a vast sea.
He pointed his flashlight at the waterlogged land.
“You need to unleash your power here, Hanin. Gangcheol are fiery dragons who dry up water with their very presence.”
He explained, trying to sound confident, though he wasn’t sure if it would actually work.
“Can you do it?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure. I haven’t been a Gangcheol for very long. I don’t think I can control my power…”
She looked skeptical, even after his explanation.
“Well, I’ll try… but you should stay in the car. It might be dangerous.”
She rolled up her sleeves and pants as high as they would go and stepped out of the car. But Joon-wan followed her, worried.
“Hmm…”
She hesitated, her expression still uncertain, then took off her shoes and waded into the river.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to be in the river to dry it up, don’t I? And why did you get out? Stay away, it’s going to be hot.”
Her voice echoed from the dark river.
Joon-wan reluctantly retreated, following her instructions. And then it happened.
Flash!
A bolt of lightning struck the pitch-black river, illuminating the darkness for a brief moment.
Flash!
Rumble!
A deafening roar followed, as if water was being sucked away, accompanied by the sounds of bubbling and churning.
Boom! Boom!
Thunder roared like a beast’s growl.
Had something gone wrong?
‘Did I put Hanin in danger?’
Panic surged through him.
“Hanin! Hanin!”
Smoke rose from the vast river, like a serpent hissing in warning.
“Stay back!”
He wouldn’t have been able to approach her even without her warning. The heat was intense.
‘What’s happening?’
He strained his eyes, but the thick steam obscured his vision.
Whoosh! Gush! Gush! Gush!
The sound of water being sucked away filled the air, like a giant monster drinking from the river.
‘What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?’
Unable to bear the suspense, he took off his jacket, grabbed his flashlight, and tried to approach her, braving the heat that felt like a sauna. And then he noticed the water level receding.
Hiss.
The surface of the land emerged from the receding water, the once vast river shrinking before his eyes.
“Oh my god…”
He squatted down and touched the ground. It was dry, warm with geothermal heat.
“How is this possible…”
The water level continued to drop, as if someone was drinking from a giant cup with a straw.
He shone his flashlight on the exposed riverbed. The bridge that had been submerged was now visible, along with cars and debris embedded in the mud.
“…”
He felt a shiver run down his spine.
It was an incredible power.
He understood why Gangcheol were considered monsters. If this power was used for evil, it could cause unimaginable destruction.
‘It’s like… a weapon.’
Even with modern technology, someone with such power could wreak havoc, especially if they were intelligent enough to maintain their human form and conceal their abilities.
Splash, splash.
He heard the sound of water splashing in the distance.
He jumped up and shone his flashlight towards the sound. Something seemed to be approaching. The splashing grew louder.
Splash, splash! Splash, splash!
He swallowed nervously. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. I haven’t been a Gangcheol for very long. I don’t think I can control my power…”
She had just said she didn’t know what she was capable of as a Gangcheol.
But what was this power?
Had Hanin already been consumed by her power as a Gangcheol, transforming into a monster?
‘What’s emerging from the darkness? Is it really Hanin?’
He felt a chill.
“Hello! Hello!”
A cheerful voice cut through the darkness, followed by the sound of splashing. He finally exhaled, the tension leaving his body.
He shone his flashlight again and saw Hanin running towards him, her knees soaked.
“It actually worked!”
She exclaimed, her face beaming as she approached him. She looked like the Hanin he knew, despite their short acquaintance.
“I can actually help people in this form!”
She chattered excitedly on their way back home.
“How did you know? Is this also written in those books you study?”
“…”
He had stumbled upon this solution by accident.
She continued talking for a while, then seemed to grow tired and fell asleep before they reached home. Her head bobbed, her body swaying as she dozed off, just like the Hanin he knew.
He smiled involuntarily, then stopped himself, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the rearview mirror. He adjusted the passenger seat, laying her down.
To him, she looked like an ordinary woman, albeit a very beautiful one. He would never have imagined her possessing such extraordinary power.
“We’re home. Wake up.”
Yes, just an ordinary woman.
“Hmm…”
Was she simply tired, or was her body strained?
“Snore… snore…”
She was snoring softly when he parked the car in the underground parking lot.
‘Oh dear…’
His fear had vanished completely.
He smiled at her, his heart filled with a strange warmth. He sat there for a while, watching her sleep, not wanting to wake her up.
***
“How did I get here?”
“You wouldn’t wake up, so I carried you.”
“You did? Oh… I was so drained, I couldn’t even open my eyes.”
Hanin said the next morning, munching on her toast with strawberry jam, her expression still sleepy.
“Releasing suppressed power is much harder than it sounds.”
As she ate breakfast, a news report played on the television in the background.
[Last night, a large amount of water disappeared from the lower reaches of the dam, which had been on the verge of overflowing.]
It was about what had happened last night.
[Some are voicing concerns that the sudden drop in the river’s water level might be a sign of sinkholes forming due to ground subsidence after the earthquake…]
Joon-wan and Hanin both turned their heads towards the television, their ears perked up.
[If contaminated river water has seeped into the empty spaces underground created by the earthquake, it could lead to groundwater contamination.]
A reporter was standing by the dam, the scene of their “operation” last night, delivering the news.
[As the possibility of sudden ground collapse in vulnerable areas has been raised, authorities have dispatched investigators…]
Footage of the river, now significantly lower than its previous flood level, was shown on the screen.
Hanin’s eyes widened.
“Wait, is that about us?”
“Yes, it is.”
Joon-wan frowned.