The Dragon Girl's Hidden Feelings
She's making a mistake.
“Fire Arrow!” With Plang's shrill voice ringing out, an arrow made of flames shot straight toward the troll's head.
BOOM! Plang's spell exploded on impact, instantly blowing the target to bits while scattering thick flames everywhere and kicking up waves of heat haze from the scorching intensity. Overwhelming firepower that belied the spell's slender arrow shape.
She's fucking nuts... I felt embarrassed for myself—I'd been the one trash-talking the wizard while staring at Leon.
“Berg!” Snapping out of my daze from Plang's magic, I bolted from my spot at Zeke's shout. I twisted my body to dodge the troll's swinging club, then drove my fist naturally into its solar plexus.
THUD!
“Kyaaak!” The troll staggered, groggy from my punch, and Zeke's greatsword sliced cleanly through its neck, revealing a perfect cross-section as the battle ended.
I casually brushed the blood splattered on my body, then drew a mana blade from my ring and started collecting the magic stone and loot. Zeke followed suit, pulling out a small dagger and mimicking me awkwardly. I smiled briefly at his eagerness to learn, but then I glanced over and frowned at Plang, who had her arms crossed and was pretending not to notice.
“What're you staring at? You primitive human scum.”
Fucking bitch... says the primitive NPC.
“B-Berg! You're as amazing as they say!”
“Huh? Oh, thanks.” Before my mood could sour completely, Zeke jumped in with flattery to match my vibe. I let out a dry chuckle and got back to work.
It had been three days since I'd partied up with them to climb the tower. As expected from high-level characters like Tier and Daphne, both Plang and Zeke were overwhelmingly powerful. Plang's personality buried it all, though... Unlike her, Zeke had the skills and the temperament—no rough edges whatsoever. Honestly, at this point, I wanted Zeke more than Plang. If he didn't have a dick, I'd have scouted him on the spot.
“Haa...” I sighed again, and Zeke fidgeted, glancing at me nervously.
“What? Hurry up and finish so we can go! It stinks in here!”
The tactless red dragon girl poked at my nerves without mercy. On the first day of tower climbing, she'd at least nodded at my words, flashing faint smiles that contrasted her prickly reputation while we built up a solid formation. But before I knew it, her nagging had escalated to an unbearable level, igniting a fire in my gut.
I needed to figure out why, at least—then I could respond accordingly. How does someone flip 180 degrees overnight...?
Like a beastkin's heat cycle? Maybe dragons have a scattering season or some shit? I chuckled at the ridiculous thought, only for Plang to click her tongue at me again. Those eyes of hers, treating me like I didn't exist, paired perfectly with her draconic glare and stoked my rage even deeper.
Fuck...
With the nagging dragon girl, the ass-kissing dragon knight, and the fuming fighter in tow, the area was cleaned up in no time at her insistence. My patience was reaching its limit.
+++
“You joined the party for the request anyway, so you don't need the reward, right?”
We'd just finished the day's exploration and returned to the guild to settle up when Plang spat out that absurd nonsense.
“P-Plang!”
“What? It's true, isn't it?”
She had a point—we'd agreed on guild contributions and a small cut for me—so yeah, taking the full reward felt a little guilty. But this? This was crossing the line. Blood boiled as she judged the situation on her own terms and acted all high and mighty whenever she felt like it.
Hoo... hold it together. Patience.
This was my karma. Did Jeong Jae-kyung even know? That the woman he'd sunk his teeth into had this level of bitchiness and a uniquely unhinged personality? The price of lusting after my friend's wife was hitting hard.
I nodded calmly despite the inner turmoil and opened my mouth. “Yeah, I don't need the reward. Don't worry about it.”
Plang puffed up smugly at my words, while Zeke kept sighing at her attitude and shot me apologetic glances. I finally got why guys in games simp for male characters.
“Alright, let's go, Zeke. I'm exhausted—feels like I used way too much energy today.”
“Y-Yeah... We'll head out first then, Berg.”
What energy? A few spells? Zeke gave me an awkward bow, his face flushing as he scurried after Plang.
Plang glanced back with a smug serves you right look. The nonstop frustration was giving me a splitting headache. Matching my sighs to the intensity, I finally turned toward the inn.
How the hell do I handle that girl? No way the sighs had spiked since partying with Plang was just my imagination.
“Hoo...”
+++
“Plang, see you at the guild tomorrow.”
“Hmph!”
Plang snorted at Zeke's gentle farewell before pushing open the door to the inn—a bit flashy for a newbie adventurer's digs—and heading inside. Once she climbed the stairs to her room, the tension finally eased, and a sigh escaped her.
She didn't hate her prickly personality, drilled into her from childhood training and emphasis. But it bothered her to treat Zeke the same way.
“It's all because of that sword.”
Rather than blame her own rough edges, Plang convinced herself it was Zeke's greatsword making her act out.
She'd met Zeke in the village on her way down to climb the tower. He was setting out on his own adventurer journey, so they'd traveled together to the city, and his purely radiant attitude had somehow made him her companion before she knew it. Highly unusual for someone with her personality. Honestly, no need to overthink it—dragons, greedy and arrogant by nature, held a deep fondness and respect for purity like Zeke's, the polar opposite. She'd been instinctively drawn to him.
But separate from her pull toward his innocence, the ominous aura leaking from his greatsword during their journey made her snap at him constantly—and she hated that side of herself.
“Huu...”
Her sighs were coming more frequently now. Zeke's sword aside, tower climbing had its own headaches.
Plang's face soured at the mounting frustrations. She'd started her adventurer life with some expectations, but what a mess... First party member dies on day one, replacement from the guild is weird as hell...
“That guy's definitely hiding something.”
Berg popped into her mind. As she groomed her scales, she mulled him over.
From the guild receptionist's intro, his first impression was undeniably striking—top-tier looks, in her eyes. But beyond that, during their initial tower climb, she'd caught herself nodding and smiling at his every word without thinking. Recalling it before bed that night had left her horrified. She'd spent the night wide awake, chills running down her spine—a secret she'd keep.
Who was she? A dragon, not some lowly human. She hadn't snapped at pure-hearted Zeke like that. Yet here she was, feeling more affinity for some stranger she'd just met? Something was definitely off.
Sensing it, Plang had countered every surge of inexplicable fondness with extra prickliness, acting hostile toward him—that was the current situation.
By now, it had become routine. She even enjoyed Berg's unchanging composure, no matter how much she poked at him. His frowning face alone was all he gave, making her wonder if it was innate—and it put her somewhat at ease. But she couldn't let her guard down. She'd never heard of magic tools that manipulated emotions, but this wasn't her home world. Better safe than sorry.
Thinking of Berg again stirred that baseless affection, so Plang shook her head and climbed into bed. Honestly, she wouldn't have to see him much longer. A few more days, and she could party solo with Zeke, free of interference.
With that thought, she pulled up the covers and closed her eyes—only to belatedly realize how much she wanted that solo party with Zeke. She reflexively kicked the blanket off in a huff.
Damn... it's all Zeke's fault.
Despite her grumbling, picturing pure Zeke's face melted away her irritation, and her lips curved into a natural smile. Matching her erratic mood, Plang hummed a tune as she drifted off to sleep.