Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Health Checkup...?
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Health checkup...?
"W-wait just a second!"
I bolted upright from the bed without even bothering to put my shoes on, putting some distance between myself and Jang Hee-yoon.
The suspicions I'd harbored had come back far worse than I'd imagined.
What the hell were all those tools? Were they planning to kill me? The trust I'd built toward Jang Hee-yoon shattered in an instant, replaced by raw anxiety and fear.
Seeing me like that, Jang Hee-yoon wore an expression mixed with distress and embarrassment.
"H-hold on, Da-yoon. I can explain. Just hear your sister out for a sec?"
"No way! Stay back!"
I shouted, curling my body up tight. The wings on my back flared out wide, and my tail thumped against the floor.
My head was spinning wildly. To think she'd hidden those vicious tools behind her kind, pretty facade. In the end, the Management Bureau saw me as nothing more than an experimental subject.
"It's true. I'll explain everything."
"Th-those tools! What are they even for? You were gonna grab me! You tricked me! You were gonna dissect me!"
Jang Hee-yoon cautiously took a step back. Then she set down the tools she was holding and raised both hands in the air.
"They're not dangerous, Da-yoon. I just wanted to scrape a little off your scales and horns. Lots of people are curious about the extent of your abilities."
"With a grinder and knives? Liar!"
Her words were pure excuses. "Scrape a little"? With those monstrous things?
"No, really. Just listen to your sister for a moment?"
Jang Hee-yoon glanced at my fully spread wings, then turned her body with careful steps. She moved away from me, heading toward a monitor in one corner of the spacious room.
"I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't say anything beforehand because I was afraid you'd get worried—that was my mistake."
She operated the computer, and a few photos popped up on the monitor.
They were the X-ray, ultrasound, and mana projection images from my earlier exam.
"Take a look at these? They're pictures of your body, Da-yoon."
She pointed at them with a laser pointer.
"See here—your horns, scales, and wing claws aren't connected to any nerves. So you can feel pressure from the inside, but no pain. Want to try touching them yourself?"
I did as she said, touching my horns and tail. Even when I scratched the scales hard or gripped the horns, there was no special sensation. Just the feeling of touch and pressure.
But this was just a light touch. There was no guarantee it wouldn't hurt if she used those tools to stimulate them.
Jang Hee-yoon smiled at my skeptical expression.
"Since you cooperated so well with the checkup, I'll give you the gifts we promised first. Hold on a sec."
She opened a box in the corner and pulled out two more wrapped packages from inside.
"Here, I'll leave these two. Want to open them yourself?"
The two boxes sat a meter in front of her. I'd planned to refuse outright, but the sweet scent wafting from them stole my focus.
Well, it wouldn't hurt to check what the gifts were before deciding.
I crept toward the boxes. First, the one with the sweet aroma...!
I untied the ribbon and peeled off the red wrapping. What emerged was a luxurious box of handmade cookies that looked incredibly expensive.
"Oof?"
Opening it revealed cookies of all colors, each giving off a different enticing scent. Adorable shell-shaped madeleines, cookies coated in rich chocolate, tarts topped with bright red strawberries.
Drool gathered at the corners of my mouth before I knew it. I barely managed to hold back the melting away of my wariness.
'She tried to grind my horns, and I'm thinking about this?!'
But I had no intention of refusing free food. Emotions and snacks were separate matters.
"Um... can I eat these now?"
Jang Hee-yoon smiled warmly at my question.
"Of course. I brought them just for you, Da-yoon."
The moment permission came, I snatched up the strawberry tart that had caught my eye. I carefully unwrapped it and took a bite.
"Mmm..."
It wasn't just sweet. The sophisticated flavors filled my mouth, mingled with the fresh scent of newly picked strawberries. The harmony of pure ingredients and masterful cooking turned my mind upside down.
"Hee..."
A smile slipped out unbidden.
Temptation tugged at me to eat one more, but I decided to save the joy for later. Eating them all at once would just leave me wanting.
"Want to check the other one?"
At Jang Hee-yoon's words, I opened the second box wrapped in yellow paper. And inside, I found...
"Ooh?"
A dragon plushie that perfectly mimicked my horns, wings, and tail.
Shiny golden horns, majestic wings on its back, a golden tail covered in black fur. It was like a mirror image of me from a reflection.
The craftsmanship was top-notch at a glance. Tight stitching showcased artisan skill, the soft velvet fabric was addictive to the touch, and up close, it smelled cozy and fresh, like it'd just been laundered.
"A famous person saw you and thought you were so cute and cool that they made this plushie. What do you think? Like it?"
"Yes...!"
A plain plushie wouldn't have cheered me up at all. I'm an adult, not a little kid, after all.
But this was different. It looked just like me, and the quality was the kind money couldn't easily buy.
Of course, Jang Hee-yoon had tried to bring metal tools near me, but giving gifts like this suggested no malicious intent.
If they wanted to catch me, they'd use force, not win me over with awesome presents.
Besides, my body was insanely tough. Those metal tools wouldn't faze me anyway.
So...
'A little checkup shouldn't be a big deal, right?'
I relaxed my defensive stance and timidly approached Jang Hee-yoon.
"What's up, Da-yoon?"
"Um... the checkup? I think I can do more."
"Really? You're so brave, Da-yoon. Then, can you lie down on your stomach again?"
Clutching the plushie in one hand, I flopped back onto the bed face-down.
"It might tickle a bit."
"Okay."
I closed my eyes at the sound of her voice. She'd said it wouldn't hurt, but I couldn't help tensing up at the thought of blades near my body.
Soon, a scraping sound came from my tail. It didn't hurt, but the unfamiliar sensation made it twitch.
"It's okay, it's okay. Almost done."
Jang Hee-yoon scraped my tail scales a few more times, then moved to my head.
Scritch, scritch.
Now it was the horns' turn. Felt like a metal rod scraping them. Ticklish, yet somehow refreshing.
It made me feel all languid, like a cat being petted.
"Hmm... guess I need to try something else."
Her voice reached me, and friction returned to my horns. Scritch-scritch, a soft sound like a lullaby.
My eyelids grew heavy bit by bit, consciousness fading.
...
...
"...Yoon-unnie, Da-yoon? Checkup's over."
"Hweh?"
I jolted my eyes open at the voice calling me.
Lifting my head, I saw a bit of clear liquid pooled on the bed. Panicking that it'd leave a drool stain, I quickly rubbed the bed and wiped my mouth.
"Wh-what happened?"
"Checkup's done, so I called you. Figured you'd be uncomfortable sleeping here."
Jang Hee-yoon said with a smile.
"Did the checkup go well?"
She gave an awkward laugh at my question.
"Ahaha... well, you're way tougher than I thought, so it didn't go exactly as planned."
"Oh?"
I wasn't sure, but hearing it hadn't gone well made me feel kinda sorry.
As I pondered if there was any way to help, I remembered something in my bag.
"Hold on. I think I can fix that!"
I hopped off the bed and rummaged through the bag I'd left in the corner. Then I pulled out the ziplock bag I always carried for storing scales.
"Huh?"
Jang Hee-yoon looked at me curiously. I pulled out a single brilliantly shining golden scale and held it out to her.
"Can you do the checkup with this?"
She stared at the scale for a moment, then grinned like it was a gemstone and carefully took it.
"Thanks, Da-yoon. This'll help a ton."
She gently stroked my head. Even with the horns in the way, her skillful petting was impressive.
"Checkup's all done now, so can I go?"
"Yeah. Miss So-jeong should be waiting outside."
I hugged the cookie box and plushie close as I left the exam room. Yoo So-jeong stood in the hallway, expressionless as ever, waiting.
Spotting me, she approached and asked,
"Did the checkup go well?"
"...Yeah. Pretty much."
There'd been a minor hiccup, but this counted as going well, right?
Yoo So-jeong stared intently at my face for a moment before speaking again.
"Were you crying, by any chance?"
"I didn't cry."
Even at my firm denial, her expression didn't change.
"There's tear tracks around your eyes."
"You're seeing things."
"From my view—"
"I said it's nothing."
Irritated for no reason, I cut her off. I'd planned to share some cookies, but now I wasn't sure about giving her more than one.
On the way home, the usually silent Yoo So-jeong unexpectedly spoke first.
"Miss Lee Da-yoon. I heard you recently made a weapon for the Azure Rose Guild."
"Yes, that's right. Why?"
She paused for a beat, as if about to share something important.
"Have you considered selling items to other places as well?"