Seoul Dragon - Chapter 46

"Haha. Yes, it's Grandpa. And this here is the newly appointed Bureau Chief, Bureau Chief Yoon Seohyun."

"Hello, I'm Park Hayoon."

"...Hello."

"Then, you two chat comfortably. This old man will step out for a moment."

The girl's expression was emotionless. From that expression alone, I could immediately tell how disconnected she was from the world.

Middle school student.

She's at an age where she should be called a young lady, but to my eyes, she still appears as a child.

Indeed. It doesn't make sense for a child who lost her legs and the freedom of her body just as she was entering adolescence to view the world positively.

Unless one has an exceptionally strong will, it's impossible.

And the child in front of me didn't seem to have such a strong will.

Her eyes, trying hard to appear calm, clearly contained resignation.

"...Hello. So you were the one who wanted to see me."

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

"You caught that demon. So... I wanted to express my gratitude..."

"...I see."

Seeing me, the child seemed slightly emotional.

Perhaps she was thinking about how fortunate it was that the cause of her condition met such an end, while also contemplating her own condition of never being able to walk again.

"Thank you. Really. I think I won't have nightmares anymore."

"...You had nightmares?"

"Every day. I tried to forget, but I couldn't."

"Would it be rude to ask what kind of nightmares?"

"Just dreams of becoming like this. It's nothing special."

Hayoon, having composed her emotions, returned to an emotionless expression.

An expression that suggested she no longer cared about what happened.

It was definitely not an expression a child who had just become a middle school student should have.

It was the expression of someone who had cried until they were exhausted and had no energy left to cry anymore.

The intense sadness I felt from her words, "It's nothing special," was surely not just my imagination.

"...I see. Is that all you wanted to say to me?"

"Um, you're a dragon, right?"

"Yes."

"You can fly in the sky and such, right? I saw you on TV earlier. Transforming into an enormously large dragon and flying in the sky."

"You saw the inauguration ceremony."

"Yes. Could you possibly take me flying?"

"Why?"

"I just want to fly."

It's not a difficult request.

If that's all she wants, there's no reason not to grant it.

I picked up Hayoon.

Perhaps due to the lack of muscle in her legs, Hayoon was extremely light.

"Will this do?"

"...Yes."

Carrying Hayoon, I stepped out of the hospital room for a moment.

"Um, Director?"

"Hmm? Hayoon and the Bureau Chief? What's going on?"

"Hayoon said she wants to fly once..."

"Hayoon, do you want to fly in the sky?"

"Yes."

"May I ask why?"

"I just... want to fly once. There's no particular reason."

The Director fell silent at her claim that there was no reason.

"...Go ahead then. Bureau Chief, I'll leave it to you."

"Understood."

We went outside. I felt people's gazes directed at us.

"You're a celebrity, aren't you?"

"It can't be helped."

"I heard you were originally a man."

"That's right."

"Did you lose something too?"

"I did."

"Are you sad?"

"No. Because while I lost something, I gained much more."

At those words, an undisguisable envy was evident in Hayoon's expression.

"...I envy you."

"I can understand why you'd feel that way."

While carrying her, I spread my wings.

"Whoa!"

Startled voices were heard from around us, but... it's not particularly problematic. I was now a person who could do this much.

As soon as I spread my wings, I took to the sky. The cool wind brushed past.

At that moment, I heard Hayoon's voice.

Though it could have been drowned out by the wind, Hayoon's voice sounded distinctly loud.

And it seemed somewhat excited.

"It's refreshing."

"Aren't you cold?"

"There are still occasional warm days. But... I don't know how long it's been since I felt something like this. I used to love running."

"...Really?"

"Yes. I loved how the wind would brush past my ears when I ran. I thought I'd never feel that again... but here I am, feeling it in this way at least."

I don't even know what to say. In times like these, I knew exactly what to do.

Maintain silence.

There's no need to awkwardly sympathize with Hayoon.

That would only further irritate her wounds. At times like these, it's better to just stay quiet.

Hayoon's gaze turned slightly downward.

I could now understand why this child wanted to see me, to fly in the sky.

This child still longs for her former self.

The self before her lower body was paralyzed from being caught in the explosion caused by the Demon-type mutant.

The time when she could walk freely, run freely, and play happily with her peers.

If she had never been able to use her legs from the beginning, she might not feel this way.

But... having lost perfectly functional legs, this child must feel even more despair.

In normal cases, it's said that sensations can miraculously return with concurrent rehabilitation therapy, but given that her condition is so severe that she can't even hope for such a miracle...

I could immediately understand why despair and resignation resided in this child's eyes.

"Sister."

"Yes?"

"Do you think I could run again?"

"......"

I couldn't bring myself to speak. There's nothing that pushes a person further into the abyss of despair than instilling vague hope.

"I guess not."

"I'm not a doctor, so I don't know for sure."

"I overheard the doctors saying it before. They said my nerves are completely damaged. I searched the internet to find out what that meant, and it said if nerves are completely damaged, you can never walk again."

"...Ah."

"Actually, I think all my family members know too. That I'll have to live like this from now on. Isn't that terrifying?"

"I'm sorry, I really can't gauge your emotions."

"...You're a kind person."

"Why?"

"Everyone else said the same things. That it'll be okay, that I'll get better soon, that someday I'll be able to run again. When is this 'someday' supposed to be? At some point, I realized that the more vaguely I hoped, the sadder I became. But you don't say such things."

Hayoon was excessively mature. Is this the kind of thing a middle school student would say?

"I'm sorry for complaining. I couldn't bring myself to say these things to my family, so it was frustrating."

"I understand."

"Kind sister, I have one wish."

"Yes?"

"I wish I could walk on my own legs again. I wish I could run again. If that could happen, I feel like I could do anything."

"...That's a wish that's difficult to fulfill."

I spoke honestly. As Hayoon just said, I didn't want to instill false hope and push the child further into the abyss of despair.

"That's what I thought."

"Yes."

"Then, I should find a hobby or something."

"A hobby?"

"Yes. After all, my arms move well like this, like this. If I don't believe I can do something, I don't think I'll want to live."

Hayoon moved her arms that were holding onto my neck.

"That's a good idea."

"Can you recommend something for me to do?"

"Well... My hobbies are quite amateurish too."

"Then, can you help me find one?"

"Let's do that."

"Will you come visit me often?"

"If time allows. I've suddenly been placed in a high position, so I've got some work."

"You don't need to overexert yourself, but could you come see me at least once a week?"

"I will."

"Is that a promise?"

For a moment, Hayoon's face brightened. Well, that much isn't hard to do.

At the same time, I thought about wanting to heal this child.

At that moment, one particular fact came to mind.

...The fact that dragon's blood has a miraculous power dormant within it.

After meeting with Hayoon, I briefly contacted Yeonhwa.

There was something I needed to check.

I needed to determine whether the fact that came to mind earlier was indeed a fact.

I immediately opened the chat.

With Yeonhwa, it's much easier to elicit a response through typing than speaking directly.

[Yoon Seohyun: Yeonhwa. Do you have a moment?]

[Ha Yeonhwa: What is it?]

[Yoon Seohyun: It's nothing major... but when you drank my blood, was there any special effect besides the impression that it was delicious? After all, you know the most about blood.]

[Ha Yeonhwa: Hmm... how should I put it? A feeling of tremendous energy surging? I don't know if it's because of that, but after drinking your blood, I didn't feel weakened in sunlight.]

[Yoon Seohyun: If an ordinary person were to drink that blood, what would happen?]

[Ha Yeonhwa: I can't guarantee, but I think most illnesses would be cured? You know, there's always something that appears in fantasy and such media? If you're doused in dragon blood, you become immortal... something like that. While your blood might not grant immortality, it would definitely have the effect of restoring a person's body. Trust me on this, I can usually detect anything related to blood immediately. But, why the sudden interest in dragon blood?]

[Yoon Seohyun: I have something I want to experiment with.]

[Ha Yeonhwa: ??]

Yes, that's right.

If a blood expert is this confident, there must definitely be some efficacy.

...I wonder if this is okay, but I suppose there's no reason it wouldn't be.

There might be some commotion, but I can manage it appropriately.