Episode 10
As soon as the doorbell rang—ding dong!—Shu flapped her tiny wings and zoomed over to the front door. Even though the door wasn’t open yet, she shouted, “Su-ya! Su-ya’s here!” and waved her little arms excitedly.
“Please open the door!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. You really like Su-ya that much?”
“I do! Shu loves Su-ya!”
As soon as I opened the door, Su-ya came bouncing in with a cheerful shout of “Shu!” The two kids hugged each other tightly and laughed like crazy. Just seeing each other’s faces made them burst into giggles.
“In case you forgot, I’m here too, oppa.”
“I know. Come on in.”
“Also, here’s a gift.”
“Huh? You really didn’t have to…”
I accepted the lunch box Park Yeon-chae handed me, trying to hide how happy I felt. Lately, she’d been dropping off leftover food or side dishes, and thanks to her, I’d been able to enjoy a proper homemade meal at least once a day.
And every dish she brought was delicious—honestly, I was living a bit too comfortably.
“I made braised short ribs yesterday. Be sure to heat them up before eating.”
“Braised ribs? Isn’t that hard to make?”
“A bit fussy, but not too bad. And I actually enjoy cooking.”
She said she liked cooking but wasn’t great at judging portion sizes—so she always made too much. Lucky for me. Whatever the reason, I was happy to take her “leftovers.” Throwing away food would be a waste, after all.
“Okay, oppa, you go eat. I’ll look after Yeon-soo and Shu while you do.”
“You really don’t have to…”
Even though I said that, I was already setting the table and getting ready to eat.
“Shouldn’t your words match your actions, at least…?”
“Try being in my shoes. Before you started helping with the kids, I couldn’t even look away from Shu for a second—I survived on convenience store meals.”
“Yeah, raising a kid alone isn’t easy.”
Yeon-chae nodded, saying she understood. Maybe that’s why she was so willing to help. Thanks to her, I got to sit back and enjoy my meal while watching the three of them play together.
“Okay, kids! Today, we’re playing Hunter!”
“What’s a Hunter?”
Shu tilted her head, not familiar with the word. Yeon-soo puffed up her chest proudly and explained:
“A Hunter is a hero who defeats bad monsters!”
“What’s a hero?”
“A hero is a good person!”
“Shu is good! Shu is a good dragon!”
“What about Su-ya? Is big sis Su-ya good too?”
“Of course! You’re both good and adorable!”
Yeon-chae pulled them both into a big hug and rubbed their cheeks affectionately. The kids wiggled and giggled in her arms, saying it tickled.
It was the kind of scene that warmed your heart—even without the amazing braised ribs.
At first, I worried the “Hunter game” might get rough, but luckily, the monsters were just a bunch of stuffed animals Yeon-soo had brought along. Yeon-chae lined them up, and Yeon-soo stood confidently in front of them.
“Hiyah!”
With a cute battle cry, she reached out and knocked one over. Then, one by one, she “defeated” the line of stuffed animal monsters like a brave warrior.
Shu got excited just watching her.
“Shu too! Shu wants to do it too!”
“Okay! I’ll set them back up. You try next.”
“Shu is strong! Hiyah! Hiyah!”
Shu copied Yeon-soo’s battle cry and threw punches into the air with her tiny fists. Her fierce little moves were so cute, any enemy would fall instantly just from the adorableness.
“Alright, Shu, give it a try. You saw how Yeon-soo did it, right?”
With a serious look, Shu stood in front of the stuffed animals. Maybe, in her mind, this was the battle of a lifetime. Even I held my breath while chewing a piece of rib. Behind her, Su-ya cheered,
“Go Shu! You can do it!”
With another “Hiyah!” and a burst of energy, Shu lunged forward—and down went the plush monsters like autumn leaves in the wind. After defeating the last one, she twirled in the air and did her signature Happy Dance to celebrate.
“Shu did it! Shu’s amazing! Shu is a kind and brave dragon!”
After a few rounds, they switched roles—Shu and Yeon-soo became the Hunters, and Yeon-chae was the monster.
The two “Hunters” launched their attack with serious expressions. Every time they punched her, Yeon-chae dramatically shouted, “Ow!” or “That hurts!” like a pro.
Finally, after a few rounds of pretend battling, Yeon-chae flopped onto the floor with a villain’s dying words:
“Ugh… How could I lose…”
“We beat the monster!”
“Take that, bad monster!”
Even after she was “defeated,” the kids ran over and gave her a few extra pokes. And each time they touched her, Yeon-chae groaned like a monster in pain, staying in character until the end.
‘She’s working so hard…’
Thanks to her dedication, I got to finish my meal in peace.
‘But peaceful times like this won’t last much longer.’
A few days ago, Yeon-chae had taken the mana aptitude test—and the day before yesterday, she got the results: she passed and was accepted into the academy. That meant she’d be leaving soon.
Honestly, I was a little sad.
‘I never realized how helpful it is to have another guardian around.’
Of course, that was just how I felt. For Yeon-chae, this was a big step toward her dreams. Even though Yeon-soo was still young, so was Yeon-chae. She couldn’t stay stuck as a full-time caregiver forever.
Before moving in with her grandma, Yeon-chae had been living alone with Yeon-soo in their parents’ house. Their parents had died in a dungeon break two years ago. That incident triggered Yeon-chae’s awakening.
Being awakened is usually seen as a blessing, especially if you want to become a Hunter. But for Yeon-chae, it wasn’t easy.
She was still a minor, raising a sick little sister alone after losing her parents. That must’ve been incredibly hard.
She decided to become a Hunter for revenge—but not just for that. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer the same kind of loss. She wanted to protect people from monsters.
It was a totally different mindset from someone like me, who got dragged into saving the world against my will.
To become a Hunter, she had to attend the academy. So she left Yeon-soo with her grandmother. Her grandma wasn’t in great health, but she didn’t have much choice.
“Are you done eating?”
“Yeah, thanks to you. You did great today.”
“I always think kids have more stamina than me, even though I’m awakened. I don’t get how they don’t run out of energy.”
“Totally agree. Watching them is exhausting. There’s always something to worry about.”
Having risen from her “death,” Yeon-chae sighed and slumped over the table. Still, her eyes stayed fixed on the kids. A true pro guardian.
“I think I’ll miss this when I’m at the academy. Not seeing Shu or Su-ya for even a day feels weird. What do I do?”
“What else? Power through it.”
“So cold! You’re staying here to watch the kids, huh?”
“Yep. So don’t worry so much and enjoy your own life too. Taking care of Su-ya is important, but you’re still young. You should also do things for yourself.”
Yeon-chae might seem mature, but she had only just turned twenty. She had to grow up fast for Yeon-soo, but she still deserved to be cared for.
“You’re not that much older than me either, oppa. So… when did you awaken?”
“Uh… I’m not really sure…”
“What? Don’t people usually know exactly when they awaken?”
Truthfully, it was seven years ago—when I fell into another world. But explaining all that would be a pain, so I dodged the question.
“Oppa, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“You’re really good at using mana, right? You even fixed that ‘mana reflux’ thing. So why don’t you become a Hunter? Most people want to be Hunters but can’t because they’re not awakened.”
“Well…”
Honestly? I just didn’t want to. I had already been dragged into a life-or-death battle once. I didn’t want to do that again.
If Earth was in real danger, sure—I’d probably get involved. But right now, even with monsters around, things seemed stable. No reason for me to jump in.
Saving the world once was enough.
“There are plenty of people who want to be Hunters. I don’t need to add to the crowd.”
“Wow… you sound like a grumpy old man sometimes. Like someone who’s seen everything. You’re not even that much older than me.”
“Watch it. And if I did become a Hunter, who’d look after Shu? Or help your grandma take care of Yeon-soo? You should be glad I’m not going anywhere.”
“…That’s true.”
Yeon-chae nodded, then looked like she had something else to say. I waited patiently.
Then, looking a little nervous but determined, she spoke up.
“This might be a shameless request, but oppa… could you teach me how to use mana?”
“Mana?”
“Yeah. I want to help people with mana reflux, like Yeon-soo. I know it’s not something Hunters usually teach each other, so I understand if you say no, but—”
“Why are you making it sound so dramatic? It’s not a big deal.”
“…Huh?”
I knew what she meant. Usually, that kind of knowledge was kept secret—passed down to a select few.
But most of what I knew came from Shu-mi, and she believed power should be used to help others—no matter where they came from.
“I’ll teach you. It’s not that hard, and I owe you a lot anyway. Let’s just call it even.”
“Wait… really? Are you sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I trust you, Yeon-chae.”
She clapped her hand over her mouth in shock. Her eyes looked watery, but then she smiled and said playfully,
“Then from now on, I’ll call you Master!”
“Please… don’t.”
“Why not? Master’s embarrassed of his cute little disciple?”
“Ugh. I told you, we’re almost the same age! ‘Master’ is overkill.”
While we were arguing about whether she should call me “Master,” Shu suddenly flew over and hugged me.
Then she said something surprising.
“Shu wants to go to kindergarten too!”
“Huh? Kindergarten…?”
“With Su-ya! Shu wants to go to kindergarten with Su-ya!”
“Hmm…”
What did Yeon-soo say to her? Suddenly Shu was going on about kindergarten too. Then Yeon-soo came running over and proudly introduced herself:
“I’m Park Yeon-soo, #7 in the Forsythia class at Rainbow Kindergarten!”
“Uh… okay.”
“If Shu and I went to kindergarten together…”
“Ahaha! We’ll get going now! Come on, Yeon-soo. Big sis will carry you.”
“Huh?”
Yeon-chae opened her arms, and Yeon-soo ran over and jumped in for a hug. While carrying her, Yeon-chae turned to me with an apologetic look.
“Please teach me about mana tomorrow.”
“Sure. See you then.”
They bowed politely and returned to their place next door. I could guess why Yeon-chae left so suddenly—Yeon-soo had brought up kindergarten.
Yeon-chae didn’t know Shu’s real identity, and I had no plans to reveal that Shu was the child of the dragon god from another world. But she did understand that the more people saw Shu, the more dangerous things became.
So for now, kindergarten was out of the question.
“Mom, Shu wants to go to kindergarten…”
“You can’t. Not yet.”
“No kindergarten?”
“No. Remember what I said? It’s still dangerous outside. If bad people see you, they might take you away and you’ll never see Uncle again.”
“…Shu doesn’t want that…”
Her tail and wings drooped. I felt bad, but there was no helping it.
After I lost her once, I gave Shu a tracking necklace. But that wasn’t enough. I still tried to keep my eyes on her at all times.
Her safety came first. But maybe there was a way…
“But if you learn how to polymorph, maybe you can go to kindergarten.”
“Polymo?”
“Yeah. If you change how you look—like me or Su-ya—no one will know you’re a dragon. Remember how I told you there are bad people out there who hurt nice dragons? So you have to hide what you are. If you polymorph, no one will know.”
“Mmm…”
Shu tilted her head and answered, “But Shu is a dragon!”
Well, I figured it might be too complicated for her. But at least she understood that if she learned “Polymo,” she could go to kindergarten. She suddenly threw her arms up and shouted:
“Polymo!”
“Did it work?”
“Shu, it’s not a magic spell…”
“Polymo didn’t work…”
“One day it will.”
I gently comforted her and began thinking about teaching not just Yeon-chae, but Shu too. She was still young, but as a dragon, she’d probably learn polymorph quickly once she got the basics.
Even with Yeon-soo visiting, keeping Shu stuck at home wasn’t fair.
‘Kids should be able to run around outside. That’s the rule.’
I was already looking forward to the day I could take polymorphed Shu out to play.
***
Meanwhile…
The Academy.
It was the first step for anyone hoping to become a licensed Hunter. There, awakened ones learned how to control mana, use skills, and fight monsters.
There were academies in every major city around the world—South Korea included. Recently, Korean Hunter Academy had gained global attention for producing excellent Hunters. This year, it was flooded with talented applicants.
Director Ma Young-chul looked over the files of several “special watchlist” candidates and smiled softly. But his brow furrowed a little, and he let out a quiet sigh.
“The new applicants are even stronger than the last batch.”
“Yes, sir. Over ten of them are pre-awakened. That’s a first in our academy’s history.”
“Exciting… but also a bit worrying.”
“Sir?”
His secretary, Seo Moon-yeol, looked confused. High-level applicants were a good thing—why worry?
“May I ask what you mean, sir?”
“Haha, don’t look so serious. It’s just… haven’t dungeon breaks been increasing lately? I just hope the rise in talent isn’t a sign that something big is coming.”
“…Ah.”
Moon-yeol nodded, though he didn’t fully understand. There didn’t seem to be a direct link between dungeon breaks and talented applicants.
But he couldn’t ignore Ma Young-chul’s instincts. Among Hunters, the top 1,000 were called “Rankers”—and Ma was one of them.
And if a Ranker felt something was wrong, it usually meant trouble.
“I really hope nothing major happens…”
“Me too.”
Ma Young-chul turned back to the list of special candidates.
Right there, clear as day, was Park Yeon-chae’s name.
