Chapter 4
Chapter 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Dragon? No, Lizard
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Present.
I'm facing off against a legendary dragon.
No, I'm facing off against the cheeky little lizard that just bit my hand.
"Shaaak-!"
"Oh-ho, still hissing, huh?"
"Shaaak-!!"
"You little... can't even recognize your dad...!"
Sure, I hadn't been pampering it.
But I was planning to from now on.
And it dares to bite its father's finger?
"You wanna go right now?"
"Shaaak-!"
"You gonna quit it? You puny little lizard!"
"Shaaak-!!"
"Fine, let's do this then?"
"Shaaak-!!!"
I stopped moving and just glared at the lizard without a word.
Then it started glaring back at me.
"..."
"..."
This was a challenge from it.
A classic staring contest.
'Barely ten minutes old and it thinks it can beat someone who's lived twenty-three years?'
Let's see who wins this.
First one to look away or blink loses.
I stared straight into the red lizard's slit-like eyes.
"..."
"...
About two minutes passed.
My eyes started to sting, and my eyelids began to twitch.
'Hmm.'
Honestly, I was nearing my limit.
'It's holding up pretty well.'
But that lizard's eyes didn't budge even a fraction.
Defeat was starting to loom in my vision.
'Am I gonna lose?'
Lose to a dragon that's only twelve minutes old?
Me?
'No, win this.'
I boldly declared to the red lizard staring daggers at me.
Gently closing my stinging eyes.
"...Next time you don't recognize your dad and bite my finger again, you're done for."
"Shaaak-!!"
I didn't lose.
I was just letting the red lizard off the hook this once.
'Picking a fight with something that's only twelve minutes old would be even more pathetic anyway, right?'
An adult who seriously tries to beat a kid looks worse.
So I graciously decided to go easy on the red lizard.
"I'm the mature adult here."
"Shaaak-! Shaaak-!"
The red lizard seemed to protest, but I ignored it and shifted my gaze to the side.
Sometime while that happened, the blue dragon had crawled out of its egg and was staring at me motionlessly.
Unlike that feral one, it seemed to have a quiet personality.
"..."
"You seem like the well-behaved type. Not hissing 'Shaaak-!' like that nasty lizard."
Good.
Come here.
I reached out to pet the blue dragon.
But it saw my hand coming and quickly backed away.
"Huh?"
"..."
"Did you just dodge your dad's hand?"
"..."
The blue dragon didn't even hiss a 'Shaaak-!' in response—it just stared at me silently.
Then, as if losing interest, it whipped its head away.
Looks like it didn't see me as its father either, just like the red lizard.
Well, technically, the blue lizard and I aren't even the same species, so it makes sense it wouldn't.
'They say hatchlings imprint on the first thing they see as their parent... Was that all bullshit?'
Felt like I'd been betrayed by a textbook that always steered me right.
But does the world always have to disappoint me?
"Shaaah- Shaaah-"
The green dragon, which had hatched last, was approaching me.
"Shaaak-! Shaaak-!"
Despite the red lizard's fierce objections.
The green dragon charged straight toward me undeterred.
No way.
"You're different from those lizards... You see me as your dad...?"
"Shaaah-!"
The green dragon let out a bright cry, as if confirming my words.
Totally different from the red lizard's vicious hiss.
"Even you recognize me as your dad... Sorry for calling grass types trash... I take it back..."
I was touched.
In response to the green dragon's actions, I reached out toward it.
It eyed my finger closely, then started licking the one the red lizard had bitten.
The throbbing pain in my finger eased a bit.
"Dragon saliva has healing properties too?"
"Shaaah-! Shaaah-!"
"That's right?"
"Shaaah-!"
Already understanding my words, this dragon.
It bounced around excitedly, as if agreeing.
'I don't know if it's a son or daughter. But you're cute, so you're my daughter from today on.'
But happiness is always fleeting.
Someone always gets jealous of another's joy.
"Shaaak-!!"
Maybe annoyed at seeing me and my daughter getting along.
The red lizard suddenly appeared, bit my daughter's tail, and started dragging her the other way.
"M-my daughter!"
I cried out desperately, like Shim Bong-sa losing his child.
"My daughter...!!"
"Shaaah-!"
My daughter and I reached for each other, but we couldn't grasp hands.
Her arms were too short, and the red lizard was dragging her away way faster than expected.
'Dragons are dragons, alright.'
After that, I ran around the studio apartment trying to get my daughter back.
But whenever I got close, she'd pull away.
When I backed off, she'd go even farther.
The neighbors even banged on the wall about the noise.
So I couldn't retrieve my daughter.
"..."
"Shaaah..."
In the end, we had no choice.
The vicious red lizard that came between us forced us apart for now.
(For the record, the blue dragon was just staring blankly into space.
Seemed uninterested in whatever we were doing.)
'...Playing it like that, huh?'
Fine, then. Time for my final warning.
I turned my back to them and declared in my most dignified tone.
"Fine, if that's how you wanna be, got it. I'm only raising you because of a promise—not because I wanted to be your dad or anything. I'll lay out a blanket, sleep or don't, your call. You're dragons, so figure it out yourselves."
Preserving my last shred of pride, I swept the broken eggshells into a trash bag and shoved it in the corner.
Then I laid out a blanket in the cramped studio.
Strictly dividing my territory from the dragons'.
"This is mine. That's yours. Cross over and I won't go easy."
"Shaaah..."
I whispered softly to my sulking daughter.
"My daughter can come over anytime."
"Shaaak-!!"
Of course, the red lizard interfered.
But for a moment, my daughter and I confirmed our bond.
"Anyway, you're on your own. I'm going to sleep."
It had been a while since I was home.
After six months out, my body was exhausted.
Just lying on the floor made me drowsy...
"Handle it... yourselves... You're dragons... I'm tired... Gonna sleep..."
Plop-
I collapsed on the floor and buried my face in the threadbare pillow, its fur all shed.
I didn't have the energy left to think or even move.
"Sleep well, everyone..."
***
Tweet tweet- Tweet tweet-
I woke to the bird chirps from my old flip phone alarm.
Living underground—not even a basement—meant I had to rely on the alarm and clock to know it was morning.
"Let's ditch the fake bird sounds already..."
I squinted and turned off the phone alarm.
Click.
Finally, the studio fell silent again.
Anyway.
"Ended up waking up early somehow."
I'd planned to sleep in to shake off the fatigue.
But old habits kicked in.
Thought about crashing again, but I felt decent, so I got up.
"Six a.m. A familiar time for me."
Gotta pay off debts.
Might as well head to work.
Need to buy food for these lizards too.
Oh right, no money for my own meals today.
I splashed my dry face to wake up and got off the floor.
"Snore- Snore-"
"...Sleep tight."
The dragons were sleeping soundly together on the blanket.
The blue one a bit apart.
"But is it okay leaving them to go to work?"
Even dragons are only a day old.
Hope they're fine.
Kinda worried about that.
But...
"...They'll manage. Not lizards—dragons. That guy said dragons can handle everything on their own."
Strictly speaking, I'm not their dad anyway.
Just keep them safe until adulthood, per the promise.
This isn't me sulking over not being recognized as dad.
"No choice—gotta work today or we starve."
Work is non-negotiable.
For work, I brushed my teeth quick and washed my face.
No shower since I'd sweat anyway.
Even that tiny water bill was precious.
"Left some chocolate bars on the table for their lunch... Time to head out."
I went to the door to put on my shoes for the dreadful outside world.
But then I spotted a slit pupil staring at me from afar.
"Blue lizard. Awake?"
"..."
"Sleep more. Did I wake you?"
"..."
It nodded slightly without a word.
At least it understands me.
'Woke up now means a long wait till I get back.'
Hmm.
Might get bored. Better leave the TV on.
I decided to check the worth of the TV fee—bundled in utilities, never used.
Click-
"Oh, it works."
People appeared on the small wall-mounted TV.
As a loner, I looked away quick.
"Guess it has its uses. TV fee wasn't a total waste."
"..."
"What channel? You're dragons... News on world events? What do you think?"
"..."
No reaction from the blue dragon.
Not good or bad.
Doesn't even know what news is.
I left the remote on the desk and put on my shoes.
"Alright, watch nicely. I'm off. No mischief—stay put. Got it? I'm going!"
"..."
"...Not like you'll answer. What am I even doing."
Felt energized.
Way better than leaving an empty room.
When I return, it won't be a dark, empty welcome.
Someone's waiting for me.
Feeling like life had meaning, mixed with worry, I shut the door.
"Don't know what they'll like. Meat first? Nah, why spoil them... Oh, right."
Gotta name them too.
Can't keep calling them red lizard, blue dragon, green dragon forever.
Pondering names, I headed for the distant stairs.
To escape the pitch-black underground for the light.
For some reason, my steps felt lighter today.