Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: I Am a Dragon (2)
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"Huff… huff…"
Suryeon ran down the dark alley.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her legs were starting to go numb.
But she couldn't stop.
"Catch her! Grab her no matter what!!"
"That kid's using magic! We can sell her for a fortune!!"
Thud thud thud—
The sound of adult footsteps kept chasing after her.
Hands full of greedy desire kept reaching out.
"D-Dad…! Help me…!!"
Suryeon desperately called for her dad as she ran for her life to avoid being caught.
She was too scared to even glance back.
She didn't want to face those emotions packed with malice.
'Those humans had creepy eyes… If they catch me, I'm done for…'
It was instinct.
If those hands grabbed her, she'd never make it home.
She'd never lie in bed playing on her smartphone again, never eat the meals Dad made.
'No way…!'
She absolutely wouldn't let them catch her.
As she ran, Suryeon knocked over a trash can in the alley.
"Ughhh—!!"
"Yes…! It worked…!"
The lead homeless man tripped over it and fell.
But the pursuit didn't show any signs of stopping.
"You little brat! When I catch you, I'll rip your eyes out first!"
"Step on him and keep going!"
The homeless men mercilessly trampled their fallen comrade as they pushed forward.
"Aaagh—!! It hurts! Help!"
She heard cries of pain.
But the homeless man felt no guilt as he trampled another human.
Suryeon saw it all with her own eyes and was deeply shocked.
"I-Is that what humans are…? The humans I knew… weren't like that…"
It was terrifying.
She had to run.
She didn't want to see any more.
Suryeon ran even faster, more terrified, desperate to escape the alley.
"Haa… haa…"
Just to survive.
She had only stepped out lightly.
But she ended up experiencing what it was like to flee from kidnappers.
It was a shocking ordeal that few children ever faced.
***
After passing through the dark alley.
Suryeon panted heavily as she checked behind her.
The homeless gang was nowhere in sight.
"Haa… D-Did I… finally shake them off…? They're really gone, right…?"
Suryeon stayed tense, glancing back for quite a while.
The homeless gang never reappeared, even after time passed.
Relieved, she slipped into a collapsed commercial building to catch her breath.
"Haa… I barely survived… Good thing the alleys were narrow… If they were even a little wider…"
She might have been caught by those awful humans.
Her eyes might have really been gouged out, just like they said.
Imagining it made Suryeon flinch and touch her own eyes.
"M-My eyes are fine…! That didn't happen…!"
What a relief.
She got lucky.
She used the terrain well, too.
"But that just means I could've been in big trouble without that luck…"
Her shoulders slumped.
Suryeon drooped her head, feeling deflated.
She thought she had grown up a bit.
But today's events hit her hard.
"I'm a dragon… So why was I too scared of humans to even look back…?"
Suryeon realized three uncomfortable truths.
First, humans were far more dangerous than she thought.
Second, she was utterly powerless against dangerous humans.
Third, without Dad, she couldn't do anything.
"I thought I'd grown up… But I'm still just a kid… Without Dad, I'm in danger…"
She shouldn't have come out.
Now she finally understood why Dad told her not to go outside.
The outside world was that dangerous.
"I had no idea it was this bad… He said it for my sake… I didn't know humans could be that scary…"
She should have listened to Dad.
Thinking that, Suryeon slowly stood up.
Still, she had to get home before sunset.
"If they find out I went outside, I'm in trouble. Today has to stay my secret. I need to go home."
She jumped to her feet.
Suryeon left the building, determined to head home.
But as she looked around, one problem arose.
"…Where's home?"
She'd gotten lost fleeing through the narrow, twisting alleys.
Suryeon tried to retrace her steps, mentally mapping it out.
"…No clue. I can't remember. I came too far."
Desperate struggling to survive.
Her mind had been blank; she remembered nothing.
Suryeon's pupils shook wildly at the realization she couldn't get home.
"H-How do I get back…? I don't remember… What do I do…? No answers…"
She trembled.
And as if misfortune came all at once.
"She's not here?! She has to be around here!"
"Search everywhere! Check every corner!"
She even started hearing the voices of the pursuing homeless gang.
"What do I do… what do I do…"
Suryeon stomped her feet in anxiety.
"This isn't the time! I need to hide first…"
Suryeon ducked back into the building, curling up on the floor.
Every time she heard the gang's voices, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Burying her face in her knees, she whispered softly.
"Please help me, Dad… I'll listen from now on…"
The sky grew darker.
Suryeon prayed that Dad would find her.
"Please…"
***
"Whew, finally done."
Why are C-rank dimensional gates always so unnecessarily huge?
"I'll head out first. Good work, everyone."
I greeted the Association staff and headed to the station.
It was late again today; I wanted to get home quick.
"Ever since I hit C-rank, the work's piled up. Tsk, I feel bad for the kids."
I had days off, sure.
But when the call came, I got home late.
That just meant the kids had to wait longer.
"…Guess I should pick up something tasty to make up for it."
A good meal oughta do it.
Maybe then the kids would complain less, and I'd feel less guilty.
Before heading home, I picked up four servings of seolleongtang to go.
"The clear broth should be a hit—no picky eaters with this."
I'd never seen a kid who hated seolleongtang.
Imagining their bright smiles as they ate, I headed home.
Creak—
"Kids, Dad's home!"
I threw open the door energetically.
Normally, this was when they'd scold me: 'Why are you so late!'
But for some reason, no one came to greet me today.
"…Huh? This is our house, right?"
Did I go to the wrong place?
Just to be sure, I checked the door.
It was definitely our home.
"Did I do something wrong today? Why are the kids acting like this?"
Did they cause some trouble?
Feeling puzzled, I took off my shoes and headed to the living room.
Then Hwaryeon and Choryeon came rushing toward me.
"Dad!"
"Father!"
These two.
Were they planning a surprise hug?
I spread my arms wide to welcome Hwaryeon and Choryeon.
"Come here, everyone—!!"
"Dad! This isn't the time!"
"Y-Yes! Read the room, Father!"
"…"
Guess not.
That stung a little.
Pushing aside the hurt, I calmly asked the frantic Hwaryeon and Choryeon.
"What's wrong, kids? Did you cause trouble again? Oh, and where's Suryeon? In the bathroom?"
"It's Suryeon, Dad! She went outside! And she hasn't come back yet!"
"…What? Suryeon went outside?"
"Yeah!"
Suryeon went out.
And hasn't returned yet.
"…"
My head boiled with rage.
I asked Hwaryeon and Choryeon coldly.
"What were you two doing when Suryeon left? You should've stopped her."
"I-I tried… but Suryeon sis wouldn't listen…"
Choryeon answered timidly, shrinking back.
Seeing that cooled my anger a bit.
"…Okay, we'll talk about that later. Did Suryeon say where she was going?"
"No…"
"Guess I have to search everywhere."
Sigh.
I set the takeout seolleongtang on the table and slipped my shoes back on.
Hwaryeon fidgeted with her hands anxiously and followed.
"D-Dad! Should I come too? I can help!"
I shook my head firmly at Hwaryeon.
"No, Hwaryeon, stay home. Eat if you're hungry—the food's on the table. Wait for me. I'll find Suryeon."
"Okay…"
"Be back soon."
I jammed my shoes on haphazardly and bolted outside.
I forgot to even close the door, sprinting through the streets with my enhanced body.
"Suryeon!! If you're nearby, answer me!! Suryeon!!"
Searching for my runaway daughter.
I yelled at the top of my lungs, dashing wildly through the area.
"Please be safe…"
If some creep got hold of her.
It wouldn't end well.
Especially if they found out she was a dragon.
"If anything happens to Suryeon."
I clenched my fist, suppressing my anxiety as best I could.
Then I kept running, calling her name desperately.
Was it because this was the first crisis with the kids?
My emotions rollercoastered up and down, out of my control.
The parental terror when something happens to your child.
I never wanted to know it, but now I felt it in my bones.
"Suryeon!! Where are you!! Say something if you're close!!"
Please.
Just answer me.
I ran until my legs felt like they'd tear, shouted until my throat burned.
Desperately praying Suryeon would respond.