A Dragon's Job Hunt, Part 5
Min-ah's day always began with waking up earlier than her big sister, Yeoreum (Flare).
The moment she opened her eyes, she would find herself buried in her sister's chest, having fallen asleep cradled in her arms.
The scent of her sister's embrace was always wonderful—cozy, comforting, and filled with warmth.
Min-ah thought back to what had happened yesterday.
They had gone to the cafe, where she got a slice of cake from Sister A-yeong, and then they had all gone clothes shopping together.
After eating some delicious meat, she had waited at home for her sister and brother to organize the clothes, only to drift off to sleep. That was all she could remember.
Of course, nuzzling her face into her sister's chest right now was far more important. It was so warm. Her sister's embrace was always warm and cozy.
As she happily rubbed her face against her, a giggle escaped her lips.
"Hehehe."
At the sound of her laughter, Sister Yeoreum stirred.
Squeeze.
Her sister's arms tightened around her, squeezing her body in a firm lock.
She struggled to break free, but the grip was far too strong for her to even budge.
What do I do? I can't get out. With her face buried in her sister's chest, she couldn't move her body at all, barely managing to wiggle her head.
Ah, she found a way. Opening her mouth, she gently bit into Sister Yeoreum's chest.
Chomp.
The moment she bit her, her sister's eyes snapped open, and suddenly, Min-ah's body floated up into the air. Huh? What's happening?
Feeling a damp sensation on her chest, Flare opened her eyes and saw Min-ah squirming, unable to escape her embrace.
She must have unconsciously tightened her grip. A normal human could never withstand even a fraction of a dragon's strength, so it was only natural the girl was trapped.
However, in her attempt to free Min-ah, Flare made the mistake of habitually wrapping her tail around the girl and lifting her up.
"Ah, I messed up. I got caught."
At those words, Min-ah looked down and saw a crimson tail wrapped around her waist.
The tail was connected just above Sister Yeoreum's backside.
Unable to comprehend the situation, Min-ah let out a dazed squeak.
"Huh?"
"Sister? What is this tail...?"
"Oh dear. You've learned something you shouldn't have, Min-ah. Do you realize that?"
Hearing Sister Yeoreum's words, the thought of imaginary creatures crossed her mind.
A secret she shouldn't know... Did that mean her sister was some kind of legendary dragon?
"Am I still half-asleep? Sister, can you pinch my cheek?"
"Min-ah, does this look like a dream to you?"
With those words, her sister pinched her cheek and pulled. Streeetch.
"Ouch! That hurts! Sister, why does it hurt?"
"Because it's obviously not a dream."
Her sister used her tail to lift her higher, sat down on the bed, and spoke.
"Min-ah, do you think this is a joke?"
For a split second, her sister's eyes shifted, revealing the slit pupils characteristic of a reptile.
"Ah..."
The moment she saw those eyes, she realized this was absolute reality.
"Um... Sister? You're not going to eat me, right?"
"Do you want to be eaten?"
"No! No! I definitely don't want that!"
She pleaded as desperately as she could, but her sister suddenly burst into laughter.
"Pfft!"
"I'm sorry, Min-ah. It was just a joke. If I scared you too much, I apologize."
"Is that true? You're not lying, right?"
"Of course. I brought you here promising to take responsibility for you, so why would I eat you? Besides, humans don't even taste good anyway."
Her sister's last words were a bit scary, but since she had brought her here promising to take responsibility, Min-ah decided to trust her.
Even so, she still wasn't quite used to her sister's eyes and tail.
Still holding her with her tail, her sister opened the bedroom door. Perhaps Brother Hyun knew about this too.
As her sister carried her out into the living room, Brother Hyun greeted them, asking if they were awake.
"Are you awake, Flare? Or should I say Yeoreum? Didn't you get caught a bit too quickly?"
"Ah? You knew about this, Brother?"
"Of course I did. I was the one who took Yeoreum in, after all. I brought her home when she was sheltering from the rain on the streets."
And so, her strange morning with Sister Yeoreum began.
After going into the bathroom with her sister to wash up, she learned another fact: her sister's tail was an incredibly sensitive area.
She kept letting out strange groans every time she washed it.
Her sister mentioned she had horns too, but said there was no need to bring them out inside the house.
When she visualized her sister's horns while washing, they seemed so large and long that they looked incredibly inconvenient.
Still, she didn't really know what kind of creature her sister actually was. So, she asked while they were washing.
"Sister, what species are you? A legendary dragon? Or a wyvern?"
When she asked, her sister replied while lathering shampoo into her hair.
"Min-ah, if you call me a lowly wyvern, what will happen to a dragon's pride? That's an insult to dragons."
"Besides, your sister is a great dragon."
"A great dragon? But why are you living here?"
"A lot of things happened. I'll tell you later."
Dodging the question, her sister applied body wash to herself, then to Min-ah, before rinsing her off with water and speaking.
"Min-ah, what are you doing today? If you have nothing to do, do you want to hang out with me at the cafe?"
"Sister A-yeong will be at the cafe too."
"What about Brother?"
"Hyun regularly visits an orphanage to do volunteer work, and today happens to be that day."
"There won't be anyone at home today, and I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone. Min-ah, do you want to stay by yourself?"
It seemed her sister wanted to take her along because she was worried about leaving her alone. Spending time with her sister sounded nice, but...
She became curious about the orphanage her brother was visiting. So, she declined.
"I want to go with Brother to the orphanage."
At her words, her sister froze as if in shock.
"Min-ah...? Why do you suddenly want to go to an orphanage?"
"If it weren't for you, Sister, I would have ended up in an orphanage too. That's why I want to go."
Hearing that, her sister dried her off with a towel, helped her get dressed, and spoke.
"Then go ask Hyun. He'll probably let you go."
"I'll go ask him!"
As soon as her sister finished dressing her and let her go, she ran over to her brother.
"Brother, I heard you're going to the orphanage today. Can I come with you?"
"I'm staying here because Sister brought me in, but without her, I would have gone to an orphanage too. So I want to help out."
"If you want to come, you're welcome to. There are plenty of kids your age, so you won't be bored."
He said, patting her head.
While her sister's touch was warm, her brother's felt blunt yet deeply affectionate. It wasn't bad at all.
Her brother told Sister Yeoreum to change her into outdoor clothes, mentioning that he had pre-ordered pizza and chicken the day before to take with them.
Since picking up the food would take some time, he suggested they go by car. It seemed he planned to head out together with Sister Yeoreum.
It took about an hour to get ready to head out with her sister.
After driving them out, her brother dropped Sister Yeoreum off at the cafe, secured the boxed chicken and pizza in the back seat so they wouldn't slide around, and set off for the orphanage.
He had bought twenty boxes of chicken and fifteen large pizzas. When they arrived with the food, an elderly grandmotherly figure was waiting outside the orphanage.
After parking, her brother opened the back seat, took out the chicken and pizza, and carried them toward the building. Min-ah followed close behind.
But since he was an adult, his walking pace was much faster than hers, even while carrying all those boxes.
"Wait for me! You should walk slower!"
When Hyun arrived at the orphanage carrying the food, the Orphanage Director greeted him warmly, clearly accustomed to his visits.
"Welcome, dear. But why did you buy so much again?"
"It's chicken and pizza for the kids. They should get to eat things like this once in a while."
"No wonder the children love you so much when you bring them treats every time, even if it's only once a month."
"By the way, who is that little girl with the sky-blue hair following you?"
"Shall we go inside and talk about that? It's a bit of a heavy story."
Having said that, Hyun sent Min-ah off to play and eat with the other children for a moment.
"Min-ah, go eat with the other kids. I'll be back after I talk with the director, okay?"
The Orphanage Director nodded understandingly. She gathered the playing children, told them to wash up and get ready to eat, and then led Hyun into her office.
"Thank you for the food!"
While the children were happily eating, Hyun opened his mouth to speak in the director's office.
"Actually, that girl was abandoned too. You know how complicated and full of alleyways my neighborhood is, right?"
"Of course I do. Sound doesn't carry well there, so if no one passes by, a child could easily get lost."
"Min-ah was left there. From morning until night."
"Is that really true?"
"Yes. If my housemate hadn't brought her in, she might have ended up wandering the streets or even kidnapped."
(He had explained the full story to her later.)
"It's a miracle. She's so bright and cheerful because she met you."
"Do you know why she wanted to come here today?"
"As you can see, she doesn't have any friends her age. I'm still looking after her, but she needs adults she can rely on."
"And Min-ah insisted on coming along to help."
"What a sweet child. To remain so pure and innocent even after being abandoned..."
"I know. Shall we go check on Min-ah and the kids, Director? I bought plenty so you could have some too."
At Hyun's suggestion, the director stood up first and led him toward the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, what was Min-ah doing at that very moment?
