The Dragon and an Unexpected Gift
"Urgh... I-I think I'm gonna die."
"Just throw up already. If you board the ferry like that, it's a hundred percent guaranteed. Don't blow chunks in front of everyone. Hit the bathroom first."
"Th-then just give me a sec..."
"We've got plenty of time. Hurry up and get back."
"Urgh!!!"
Leaving that single strangled cry behind him, Choi Hoon vanished into the restroom at blistering speed.
Well. Couldn't really be helped. After nearly twenty straight minutes of galloping with his whole body twisting and jolting atop a horse, of course he was seasick—or rather, horsesick.
No—the fact that mere motion sickness was the worst of it was something to be grateful for.
Of course Ha-yan and I, who knew he had defensive magic cast on him, stayed perfectly calm. The owner of the stable, who didn't know that, had been a nervous wreck the whole time.
Do Ji-yeon? She just... laughed herself sick until the exact moment Choi Hoon climbed down.
"Aigoo. My stomach still hurts. I honestly haven't laughed that hard in forever."
"Y-yeah. S-sounds like it."
"Anyway, so we just hop on that ferry over there, right?"
"Yep. It's only about ten minutes to Udo. They say the beaches there are gorgeous."
"It used to be nice because there wasn't all that tourist junk, but apparently it's just another tourist spot now. Kind of a shame."
"Can't do anything about that. By that logic, we're tourists too, you know?"
With the horseback riding finished, our next destination was Udo—an island you reached by a roughly ten-minute ferry ride from the harbor near Seongsan Ilchulbong.
It had once been known for its outstanding natural scenery, and while that scenery was still carefully preserved, the endless stream of visitors had gradually turned it into a typical tourist destination.
"Still, people say the reed fields and the cliffside paths are beautiful. The weather's perfect, so the photos should come out great. Ha-yan, you've got to take a ton more pictures."
"Ah! And there's that beach too—the one where little round pebbles stand in for sand! It's a natural monument!"
"We're definitely going there."
While we chatted about Udo, Choi Hoon reappeared looking pale as death—and right on cue, a broadcast announced that our ferry had docked at the harbor.
"Alright. Let's head out."
And so we boarded the boat bound for Udo.
After a short, uneventful voyage, we arrived safely at Udo's pier.
I'd briefly considered climbing Seongsan Ilchulbong and then moving on somewhere else, but while we were planning the Jeju itinerary, this was the one place Ha-yan had specifically told me she absolutely wanted to visit.
Besides, if today had been for the more physically demanding spots, starting tomorrow I planned to rest at the hotel—uh, you know, the pool and all that—and maybe hit some nice cafés.
Just bouncing from tourist site to tourist site gets old. We'd booked a five-star hotel; we ought to enjoy a little hotel-cation, right?
Once we stepped off at Udo's pier, we set out at once for the beach that had been designated a natural monument. Though "set out" might be generous—I was basically being dragged along by Ha-yan.
"Mmm~ I keep thinking it, but we are soooo lucky. I'm pretty sure last week the weather service said this week would be terrible, but look at this brilliant, clear sky!"
As Do Ji-yeon strode ahead with that remark, Ha-yan and I glanced at each other and shared a quiet smile.
As if anyone else could be responsible for this weather.
"No kidding. Thanks to that, there aren't even many other tourists around. Almost like heaven's looking out for us or something."
Choi Hoon muttered the same thought and trailed after Do Ji-yeon.
I leaned toward Ha-yan and spoke softly.
"Making this week so clear means next week Jeju's going to get a pretty serious amount of rain, though."
"Huh? C-can't you do anything about that?"
"With weather magic, what goes out has to come back. Can't be helped. Still, it won't be disaster-level, so don't worry. I've got no intention of repeating the mistakes I made as a kid."
"Then it's fine. Shall we go too?"
Ha-yan and I linked hands and ambled after the other two.
Before long we reached a beach made entirely of tiny, smooth pebbles.
Definitely not sand—and even calling them pebbles felt wrong, they were so small. When you ran your hand over them, it felt less like gravel and more like a collection of only the roundest bits of seashell.
"Wow! This feels... even nicer than sand! Siu, take your slippers off and try it!"
Ha-yan had already kicked off her shoes and was walking barefoot along the shore.
Her long black hair fluttering with every step, her black-and-white dress dancing in the breeze—Ha-yan looked so beautiful I wanted to freeze the sight in my eyes like a photograph.
As for Do Ji-yeon and Choi Hoon...
"Die!!"
"Gyaaaaah!!"
...we would simply ignore the hectopascal kick Do Ji-yeon was currently launching at Choi Hoon.
Oof. That one connected clean. Did Choi Hoon bring a change of clothes?
Watching the two of them put on what looked like a UFC match with cheerful detachment, I followed Ha-yan's advice, slipped off my sandals, and stepped onto the beach.
An indescribable sensation greeted me.
Sand tends to cling a little to the soles of your feet; this beach felt... soft and yielding, almost plush. Beyond that, there was no way to describe it except by experiencing it yourself.
"Hehe! Amazing! Oh, and there was a reason I wanted to come here, you know!"
"A reason?"
"Yep! Here..."
Ha-yan rummaged through her bag and produced two small glass bottles.
"Technically... taking large amounts of sand from here is illegal. But I figured this much might be okay."
She carefully scooped about a finger's worth of the tiny pebbles into each bottle, then brought them close to her chest.
And then—
"Mmm...!"
A brief glimmer, and I felt Ha-yan's mana flow into the bottles.
When the reaction settled, she beamed and held out one of the completely sealed bottles to me. A sturdy necklace cord had been cleverly attached to it.
The sudden gift made my heart soar, but a flicker of curiosity remained.
"Why a necklace all of a sudden, though? We're already connected by—"
"I know, I know. We're linked through mana. Still... I kept thinking it'd be nice to have something like this. We've got couple shirts and all, but we still don't have anything like this."
"So that's why you insisted on coming to this beach? To make these for me?"
"Mm-hm. Hehe."
Ha-yan laughed bashfully as she spoke.
I stared at the little glass bottle she'd pressed into my hand without a word. Her expression wavered, and she asked in a trembling voice,
"W-why are you looking at it like that? Is it too plain? Maybe I should've just bought something at a department store..."
"No no no. Absolutely not. That is not why I was quiet."
What was she even saying? Trying to turn someone into human—no, dragon—trash?
I quickly fastened the little bottle around my own neck, then held out my hand to her.
"Give it here."
"Huh? G-give what?"
Ha-yan looked a little flustered, but I answered with complete confidence.
"What do you think? That one. You're going to wear it too, right? I'll put it on for you."
"Ah. Okay!"
Her face lit up as she handed me her matching necklace, then naturally swept her long jet-black hair forward over one shoulder and stepped close.
I reached around her neck, fastened the clasp, and leaned in slightly against her as I murmured,
"Thank you."
"Hehe. It's nothing. I've gotten way more from you."
And then I made a bold declaration—well, something close to one.
"You gave me the necklace, so start looking forward to something that goes on a finger. Someday I'll give you the best one I can find. Even if it takes a little time, don't feel disappointed, okay? You know me."
"...Yeah! I know perfectly well!"
"Oof."
"Ehehe..."
Hearing words that were practically a proposal, Ha-yan turned with the brightest smile and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her gently in return, and in the rush of bliss and happiness I hadn't felt in so long, a little of my mana slipped free and drifted out into the sea. I just couldn't quite rein in the joy.
After that brief little event, we made our way back to the harbor under the envious stares of Do Ji-yeon and Choi Hoon—only to be greeted by something entirely unexpected.
Kieee~~!!
"Whoa. What the heck is this?"
Do Ji-yeon stared wide-eyed at the dolphins crowding around the pier, utterly shocked.
"Photo. Photo opportunity!!"
Choi Hoon whipped out his phone and started hammering the shutter.
"Uweh... is this because of that mana earlier...?"
Ha-yan started glancing nervously at me.
"Aigoo. I really didn't see this coming."
All I could do was press a hand to my forehead.
In the car on the way back to the hotel.
We'd left Udo at a perfectly reasonable dinner hour and taken care of the evening meal at a nearby seafood jjigae place that was supposed to be excellent.
Everyone was so exhausted from all the walking that they just buried their faces in their bowls, so we'll skip the details.
And now—
"Kuaaaa~~"
"Kruuuaa~~"
"Mnya... hmnya..."
—everyone except Rhea in the driver's seat and me in the passenger seat was completely out cold.
Rhea glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror and spoke in her usual dry tone.
"It has been less than a day and a half since I provided Master with documentation that nearby wildlife will respond amicably to your mana."
"Hey. How is that my fault?"
"So the great and mighty dragon couldn't control his own emotions, leaked mana into the ocean, and delayed our departure from Udo by that much?"
"...Fine. I can't claim I was completely blameless."
And so, all the way back to the hotel, I had no choice but to endure Rhea's lecture that wasn't quite a lecture.