Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Aftermath of the Park Commotion
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The commotion in the park naturally became a huge topic of conversation.
It was only natural. I'd spewed fire like that, and I'd even taken flight right in the middle of the park.
...Somehow, becoming a dragon made me feel like my exhibitionist tendencies had gotten stronger.
I no longer felt any aversion to stepping out in front of people like this.
It was something I'd noticed before, but these days, groundless confidence welled up inside me more often.
This bizarre sense that no matter what I did, people would treat me well... All I could do was strive not to let that confidence veer off in the wrong direction.
Anyway, watching the fallout from the incident I'd caused was honestly entertaining.
[Whoa, what the hell was that just now?]
A massive pillar of fire suddenly shot up from the park near Korea University;; It even pierced through the clouds?
-?? Makes sense?
-No, I'm telling you, it's real.
-Was it that Dragon-type Mutant again? I heard she's a Korea University student.
-Maybe? Last time it was lightning, now she's breathing fire too?
-She's just on a whole different scale... Is that the power of a three-month mutant?
-But that High Elf girl doesn't make sense either lol She talks to plants lol
-Now that you mention it;; If a two-month mutant is like that, isn't a three-month one basically a strategic weapon?
-What if she snaps and goes rogue? Isn't that dangerous?
[I just saw a Dragon-type Mutant spread her wings and fly around in the park.]
Her wings were freaking huge;;
Rough guess, but the wingspan alone looked like almost 4.5 meters? She was holding some little girl.
The girl was screaming excitedly.
-?? She spread her wings and paraded around the park just to play with a kid? She's such an exhibitionist.
-So why'd she breathe fire?
-I dunno lololol
-Did something piss her off?
-Nah, I asked some underclassmen or whatever around and they said she did it because they begged her for a fire show lololol
-What kind of fire show has that scale;;
-She said she aimed it where no sparks would fly, and she even checked the sky for anything up there.
-But if her breath can pierce clouds, how insanely powerful is that? It feels like everything I knew is being overturned.
-Common sense got thrown out the window the moment mutants appeared in the world lol
-True that.
-But even accounting for that, the scale is too much;; She's in a whole different league from the others?
-Yeah, that's true too.
Seeing that, I was relieved that at least people weren't viewing me entirely negatively. But at the same time, I knew there had to be some who looked on me unfavorably.
Just in case, I checked the communities, and sure enough.
[But what if she snaps and blasts that breath at a building?]
Isn't that kinda scary?
Of course, I know not all mutants are bad, and there are some good ones around me too, so I can't judge hastily, but it's still a bit frightening.
The power given to individuals is just too great.
-For real, if she suddenly goes berserk, could they even stop her?
-Maybe with military firepower?
-She flies around blasting breath; that alone would cause massive casualties.
I'd caused that much of a stir, so it was inevitable that some would view me with apprehension.
I couldn't blame them for their fear. People naturally fear powers they can't resist, and it makes them uneasy when something like that becomes part of everyday life.
And it wasn't like mutants had come with the usual monsters or magical beasts.
In other words, mutants weren't something society could easily accommodate.
The only thing to control such overwhelmingly powerful individuals was the military, so people's anxiety was bound to grow day by day.
...Yeah, the breath was probably a bit too much.
I needed to reflect on that. Next time, I'd scale it down.
I had to stop showboating so much; I'd gotten too carried away with the mood and the encouragement.
With that resolve, I skimmed the communities a bit more... and then one post caught my eye.
[Parent who left their kid with a mutant here.]
I'm the one who left their child with the mutant who breathed fire in the park near Korea University.
The reason I entrusted my child was because, while everyone was startled by the breath, my kid approached the mutant.
My child had never seen a mutant before.
Maybe she was fascinated by the horns on her head... I was worried it'd be a bother to the mutant, but my kid, who almost never throws tantrums, started wailing like crazy.
We were so flustered and worried the mutant might get offended... But fortunately, the mutant said kids do that sometimes and even ruined her own clothes to bring out her wings.
I didn't know this, but apparently, to extend her wings, the back of her shirt has to tear completely...
She said she couldn't even think of doing it unless it's a backless outfit.
But when my kid said she wanted to fly in the sky, the mutant readily agreed, and she turned out to be an incredibly polite and upstanding student.
My kid even said today that she wants to see "dragon sis" again.
Here's a photo from when my child hugged the mutant.
(A photo of the kid beaming with a huge smile.jpg)
I mosaicked the face, and the mutant said it's okay to use the photo.
Anyway, what you're all worried about didn't happen...
I asked around other students, and they all said she's a really great senior.
I'm posting this so malicious rumors or fears don't spread.
Have a great day, everyone.
-Why is this wholesome?
-Her back getting ripped ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
-Oh
-Wow;; She sacrificed her own clothes to give the kid a good memory? She's so kind;;
-But isn't it a bit much to call her kind based on just this one thing?
-Nah, I heard she saved people when she took down that Minotaur-type too... We need more mutants like her.
-Yeah, I heard she's a cafe barista or something? Saved someone, from what I heard later.
-And she's at Korea University...? The world is so unfair.
-Fr real lol
-How is a fresh-faced college student a Dragon-type Mutant, and at the top university in Korea no less?
-But why is she still going to college? From the pics floating around communities, she could make a living as a model.
-Dunno;;
-Everyone values different things lol Maybe she's going because she'd hate to waste all that studying for Korea University.
-And those wings are insanely huge lololol
Reading that post reminded me that right before I took Yun-seo up into the sky, her parents had asked if they could take a photo.
Had they anticipated something like this? Who knows... but it lightened my heart a bit.
* * *
And the next day, I got an unexpected call.
It was from Agent Choi Jeong-ho.
"Ah, yes. This is Yoon Seo-hyun."
-Hello, Seo-hyun. Hope you're having a good day. I'm calling about yesterday's incident.
"Yesterday? Oh... the breath?"
-Yes. Technically, flying around the park is the issue...
"What? Not the breath, but flying in the park?"
-You can't fly over Seoul airspace without permission. There's a fine.
"...Ah. H-how much is it?"
-Haha. Just kidding, kidding. I was just checking in since you seem to be adapting well. Any difficulties in daily life?
"No. Lately... every day feels enjoyable."
-Good to hear. I was actually worried. A lot of mutants suffer mentally from societal stares or turn violent. You must have good people around you, Seo-hyun.
"Uh... yeah."
-Great. If anything bothers you, give me a call. Since I'm in charge of mutant care...
"I've been wondering this for a while, Agent."
-Yes?
"Why is the National Intelligence Service handling this...? Wouldn't it be better to set up a dedicated mutant facility?"
-Haha, tell me about it... It was supposed to be another ministry, but they kept hitting brakes on authority issues, so we ended up with it.
"I'm trying not to mention the National Intelligence Service too much... but I guess I shouldn't talk about this?"
-Well, people in the know already know. Just don't broadcast it too publicly. Anyway, if anything comes up, I'll contact you.
"Ah, yes."
-Oh, right. There's a nasty mutant that slipped in from China recently. We'll be distributing wanted posters soon. Interested?
"Uh... is there a reward?"
-We can pay handsomely. Just the time and equipment to catch it would cost a lot, so we can offer a good bounty from the savings.
"Could you let me know if you find it? I think I can help."
-Got it. If we pinpoint the wanted mutant's location, I'll contact you.
"Um, do you ask other mutants to cooperate like this too?"
-Naturally. Even trained soldiers or agents are just civilians against mutants. Many mutants have helped out.
"Ah.... It'd be nice to meet some others sometime. I've been curious about what other mutants are like."
-Haha. Not a bad idea. I'll spread the word. Talk to you later.
After hanging up with the agent, I smiled.
Because... it was time to earn some pocket money again.
Pocket money might be an understatement for the amount, but good things are good.