I'm Not an Imaginary Friend
I'm Not an Imaginary Friend
As I slipped through the passage Jjangryong-i had bored out, rescue workers wearing protective gear came running.
"Found one survivor!"
"Over here!"
I held up my sliding pants with one hand and waved with the other.
The female rescue worker in the lead spotted me and paused for a moment.
"A little girl?"
"...I'm not a little kid."
The rescue worker ran straight over as if she hadn't heard me. She knelt in front of me and quickly checked my face and limbs.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine. I think I awakened, so it's all healed."
"You awakened?"
"Yes. I just awakened! I'm a Dragon Master now."
Ahem! I proudly pointed to my shoulder.
Jjangryong-i was wary of the stranger, baring its tiny teeth.
"This is my dragon."
"......This?"
"Jjangryong-i. It's a Invisible Dragon, so you probably can't see it."
Upon hearing me introduce Jjangryong-i, the rescue worker's voice suddenly softened.
"I see. So a friend named Jjangryong-i was with you."
"That's the tone of someone who doesn't believe me."
"I believe you. Eonni believes everything."
It was a tone that inspired zero trust.
As she draped a blanket over my shoulders, Jjangryong-i got squashed underneath and let out a short cry.
"Kya!"
"Wait a second. Jjangryong-i is getting squashed."
I lifted the blanket and pulled Jjangryong-i out.
Jjangryong-i flapped its wings to shake itself off and sent a feeling of being sulky toward the rescue worker.
"Please say sorry."
"Huh?"
"Jjangryong-i is mad."
The rescue worker hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head to the empty air beside my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Jjangryong-i."
Jjangryong-i whipped its head away.
"It says it's still not over it."
"What should I do to make it feel better?"
"I think giving it a snack would work."
Jjangryong-i looked straight at me.
—You're the one who wants to eat, aren't you.
That was the look it was giving me...
'Why? You want to eat too, don't you.'
The little guy didn't deny it.
Soon, another rescue worker brought a stretcher.
"I can walk."
As I took a step, the oversized safety boot slipped right off my foot.
Following that, the work pants slid down to my ankles.
"......I'll take that."
I could walk.
I just decided not to walk right now, that's all.
The examinations continued inside the ambulance.
When the blood pressure cuff was wrapped around my arm, Jjangryong-i tilted its head.
"It's okay, it's not dangerous."
"Kya-ah."
"I wasn't scared, okay? I was just explaining it to you."
It seemed Jjangryong-i was convinced I was scared, no matter how you looked at it.
As the machine started to tighten around my arm, the little guy tapped the blood pressure cuff with its front paw.
"Don't do that. If you mess it up, I'll have to do the test again."
The paramedic stopped their hand.
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Ah..., it's not me, but Jjangryong-i keeps poking it."
"Ah......."
She glanced at the empty space on my lap and nodded slightly.
It was that expression again.
After arriving at the hospital, more tests were waiting.
I had blood drawn, lay inside a large machine, and sat in front of a mana measurement device for Awakened.
In the subsequent blood test, Jjangryong-i bared its teeth the moment it saw the needle.
"Stay still."
"Kya-ah."
"It won't hurt."
The nurse said with a smile.
"Are you scared of shots?"
"It's not me, I think Jjangryong-i is scared."
"I see. Jjangryong-i is a scaredy-cat."
A surge of intense anger came from Jjangryong-i.
"It says it's not a coward."
"Yes, yes, you're a brave friend."
"It says that's correct."
Jjangryong-i puffed out its chest as if satisfied.
As the needle entered my arm, the little guy placed its front paw on my wrist. I could feel its worry.
I couldn't help but chuckle and stroked Jjangryong-i's head.
"I'm really not in pain."
The nurse watched my hand stroking the empty air for a moment.
For some reason, that look of pity she gave me is still unforgettable.
After a few more tests were finished, the nurse left behind a small juice and some biscuits.
Perhaps because of the delicious smell, Jjangryong-i's gaze followed the biscuits.
"Uh-uh, these are mine."
"Kya."
"You haven't done anything since earlier, anyway."
The little guy strongly projected the memory of it getting rid of the concrete wall.
"That was earlier."
Jjangryong-i rested its chin on my lap without even blinking.
Eventually, I broke a biscuit in half.
"Sigh..., just half, okay?"
As Jjangryong-i tried to swallow it in one bite, I quickly pulled my hand back.
"Chew it. What if you choke?"
"Kya-ah."
"Even dragons have throats."
Just then, the hospital room door opened.
The attending physician paused for a moment, seeing me holding out a biscuit over an empty bed.
"......Were you having a snack?"
"I'm not eating it, I'm feeding Jjangryong-i a snack."
The doctor opened the chart without a word.
"The test results show no particular physical trauma. Your mana organ has also formed normally."
"Then what's my rank?"
"You'll have to get the official rank test separately at the Hunter Management Bureau."
It seemed I couldn't get an S-rank certificate right away today.
Even though it was a guaranteed S-rank if I was with Jjangryong-i.
I pouted in disappointment, and Jjangryong-i poked my cheek with its tail.
"Why."
A feeling of "don't be impatient" was transmitted from the little guy.
"You're already a dragon, so I guess you can afford to be relaxed."
"Kya."
"Don't brag."
The doctor's pen stopped.
"Who were you talking to just now?"
"Jjangryong-i."
"Jjangryong-i?"
"It's the dragon I contracted with. It's right here."
I pointed to the pillow next to the bed.
Jjangryong-i pressed its front paws into the pillow, then looked at the doctor.
"Hmm..., it has silver scales, its eyes are the same color as mine, and its horns are about this big. It's still a baby, so it's a bit small."
The doctor stared at the empty pillow for a long time.
"By any chance, has Jjangryong-i been with you since before the accident?"
"No. I contracted with it today."
"So it first appeared right after the accident."
"Yes."
He wrote something on the chart.
"Does Jjangryong-i speak, too?"
"It can't speak, but its emotions are transmitted. Right now, it says it's in a bad mood because you can't see it."
"Haha, I see."
"Jjangryong-i, it's not 'old man', it's 'Doctor'."
Jjangryong-i hadn't actually said that, but the doctor was acting too much like an old man.
The doctor wrote something long on the chart again.
Wondering what it was, I snuck a peek at the writing.
[Possibility of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder due to gate accident.]
[Presumed psychological defense mechanism via visual hallucinations and imaginary friend.]
"It's not an imaginary friend, okay?!"
The doctor's pen stopped.
"Ah..., you read it?"
"You're writing it right in front of me, of course I can see it."
"Is Jjangryong-i a friend who protects you?"
"It's not a friend, it's a dragon. And I'm telling you, I'm its master."
Jjangryong-i immediately pulled on my hair.
"Ouch! What! I am its master!"
"Kya-ah!"
"Even though I named it and we made a contract!"
When the topic of its name came up, Jjangryong-i pulled my hair even harder.
"Let go! I gave you a good name!"
The doctor looked back and forth between me and the empty pillow. His expression became much more serious.
[Relationship with imaginary friend is very specific and interaction is persistent.]
"Don't write that!"
"It's a record for accurate diagnosis, so you don't need to worry."
"Jjangryong-i will be hurt if it sees that."
Jjangryong-i bared its tiny teeth toward the doctor's chart.
"Has Jjangryong-i ever made you do dangerous things or told you to hurt others?"
"No."
Jjangryong-i sent a feeling of hesitation for a moment.
"Why are you hesitating?"
The little guy looked at the doctor's chart.
"That's not allowed. You'll get in trouble if you breathe fire in the hospital."
The doctor's expression stiffened noticeably.
"What did you just talk about?"
"I told it not to burn the chart."
"Did Jjangryong-i say it wanted to burn it?"
"A little."
The tip of the pen moved quickly.
[Possibility that the imaginary friend represents aggressive tendencies.]
"No, why are you writing it like that again!"
The doctor nodded slowly as if to calm me down.
"It's okay. After experiencing a major accident, it's possible to imagine an entity that will protect you."
"I'm telling you, I didn't create it, I contracted with it using a skill I got after awakening."
"Yes. Jjangryong-i must be a very important friend to you."
"It's my dragon!"
Jjangryong-i also flapped its wings beside me, as if it felt unfairly treated.
A while later, the doctor brought up the need for a guardian consultation, then raised his eyebrows slightly after seeing the results of the identity check.
"It's confirmed that your name is Han Seorin."
"Han Seorin?"
He turned the tablet screen to show me.
[Han Seorin]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 13 years old]
[Special Self-Reliance Subject for Awakened]
My photo was even attached.
It was an ID photo looking straight ahead with a face without a speck of dust.
"I've never taken a photo like this."
"Even if you say that..., it's the ID photo registered with the government."
Even if you checked the fingerprints, it was Han Seorin.
Even if you checked the iris, it was Han Seorin.
Health insurance, hospital records, resident registration, mobile carrier, bank accounts, and even the monthly rent contract had all been changed to the name Han Seorin.
The issue of a guardian and the residence of a minor had already been resolved. I was registered as a Special Self-Reliance Subject for Awakened, so I could continue living in the house I was currently in.
The name Han Siwoo didn't remain anywhere.
Every record fit perfectly, as if Han Seorin had existed in the world from the very beginning.
"......Is this the power of the Awakening System?"
It had changed a person's entire life.
Jjangryong-i looked back and forth between my face and the photo on the tablet, then nodded.
"It looks the same?"
"Kya-ah."
"I look better in person."
Jjangryong-i pointed at the photo again.
"The photo looks better?"
The little guy nodded.
"You're not getting dinner today."
Jjangryong-i's eyes widened and shook.
Watching that, the doctor added one more line at the bottom of the chart.
[Relationship with imaginary friend is generally stable.]
"I'm telling you, it's not an imaginary friend."
I muttered quietly and opened the bank app.
Account holder: Han Seorin.
Balance: 8,420 won.
"Why is the money the same?"
If it had the power to change my identity, couldn't it have added two or three more zeros behind the number?
The Awakening System was honest in all the useless areas.
The hospital bill was fully covered by gate accident insurance and Awakened support.
When I was discharged, I also received a gray hoodie and black sweatpants prepared by the Bureau. The shoes had pink rabbit decorations attached to them.
"Are there no other shoes?"
"That's the last one."
"......Rabbits aren't bad, I guess."
Jjangryong-i looked down at the shoes.
"Jealous?"
The little guy turned its head, pretending not to hear.
It was already dark by the time I arrived home in a taxi called by the Bureau.
The front door password was the same.
The cramped room, the blanket spread on the floor, and the work clothes piled in one corner were no different from the morning.
Jjangryong-i got off my shoulder and flew around the room.
"There's a lot of dust there."
"Kya."
"That's not food."
The little guy looked down regretfully at the snack crumbs on the floor.
Come to think of it, neither I nor Jjangryong-i had eaten anything since lunch.
I opened the refrigerator door.
Half a bottle of water.
Leftover pickled radish.
Mayonnaise that I couldn't remember when I bought.
My identity had changed.
My body had changed.
I had a job, and I even contracted with a dragon.
But it was strange that only the refrigerator hadn't changed; it felt a bit unfair that it was only realistic in this aspect.
"I guess even the System couldn't fix this."
Jjangryong-i climbed onto my shoulder and peered into the refrigerator.
A moment later, the little guy slowly shook its head.
I felt the same way.
If this is the case, how am I supposed to solve my meals?
I checked my bank account balance.
It was still 8,420 won when I looked again.
Jjangryong-i pointed at the pickled radish with its front paw.
"...No."
"Kya?"
"If you eat it too, there won't be any side dishes for tomorrow."
Jjangryong-i looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
The first day of contracting with a dragon that would become the strongest in the world.
Our dinner was bottled water.