Seoul Dragon

Beep, beep, beep.
A beeping sound that you’d typically hear in a hospital room can be heard. What is that sound? So irritating.
I opened my eyes in frustration.
What I saw upon opening my eyes was a white, yet unfamiliar ceiling.
Is this a hospital?
Why am I in a hospital? I was definitely in my apartment… No. Wait.
I definitely went outside to get some fresh air and was just about to go back inside to clear my head, so why am I here now?
What on earth happened?
“Ugh. My head hurts… Huh?”
As I grabbed my throbbing head and muttered, I suddenly felt something extremely off. A strange feeling of tightness. And an alien voice.
That voice just now. It didn’t seem like my voice.
“Huh? Ah, ah? Aaaah!?”
A woman’s voice comes out. I hurriedly got up from my bed… No, before that, what’s with this IV drip!?
Anyway, I looked around and searched for something that might reflect my appearance.
The window.
And through the window, I caught a glimpse of my appearance, and I couldn’t help but be shocked.
Because there was a woman with horns on her head.
Not just any woman, but an incredibly beautiful woman.
In common terms, she had silky smooth black hair and golden eyes like those of a reptile.
And the most shocking thing was that this woman was moving exactly as I moved… and the jet-black, curled horns on my head.
What… what is this situation?

I came to learn about this bizarre incident from the nurse and doctor who suddenly rushed in.
The fact that at the moment when I witnessed something like a bright starlight, I wasn’t the only one who saw it.
And the fact that those who witnessed it had their bodies reconstructed, as if shedding their skin.
Roughly hundreds of people experienced physical changes like me, and there were both people whose gender changed and those whose didn’t.
Finally, the most important thing… three months had already passed since then.
Three months means the semester is already over and it’s time to take a leave of absence.
Then what about my assignments? My grades?
“…Three months?”
“Yes.”
“I’m screwed.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, I was in the middle of a semester… Looks like I’ll have to retake all the courses.”
The doctor made a somewhat bewildered expression as he watched me sigh.
“Oh, yes. Well. That could be important. But Seohyun?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you confused?”
To such a question from the doctor, I shook my head. Confusion?
I wasn’t particularly confused.
It could be because I’m a person with a narrow range of emotional fluctuations to begin with, or because what’s happening to me now is such an unreal event.
But strangely enough, I was accepting this situation naturally. I don’t know why.
“No. It’s strange. Normally in this situation, I should be crying and screaming and making a huge fuss, maybe even grabbing your collar.”
“Haha. That’s true. I wish all the other mutants were as calm as you, Seohyun.”
“Ah, am I the only one like this? By the way, mutants? What are mutants?”
“Three months ago, light suddenly poured down all over the world. Those exposed to that light all had their bodies burn up… and their bodies began to mutate. Just like you, Seohyun.”
“Ah.”
“We call such people mutants. And usually… many people find it difficult to accept the situation and become confused. Actually, we were quite surprised when we came in. There are security personnel waiting outside.”
“Security personnel?”
“Yes. Typically, mutants experience dramatic enhancement of their physical abilities. If such people were to cause a disturbance, it would be a big problem… So now we have to place security personnel around mutants.”
“Hmm…”
Then, it suddenly occurred to me that if physical abilities were dramatically enhanced, wouldn’t bullets be ineffective? So I asked the doctor.
“Then, are bullets ineffective against them?”
“Haha. Well, there’s that kind of perception in novels and comics these days, right? But that’s not the case at all. Most mutants can be subdued with taser guns. After all, mutants just have unusual physical characteristics, but the basic framework is still ‘human.’ Just as humans die when electrocuted, so do mutants. Ah, of course, some mutants have tougher skin due to their unique species characteristics… But still, they can’t withstand military-level firepower.”
Military-level firepower…?
Was there some kind of terrorist incident caused by mutants?
I’ll ask about this later.
“I see. But from what you’re saying, was I exceptionally slow in regaining consciousness among the mutants? Given that there are stories about mutants who woke up before me. It seems like a lot of major incidents have happened…”
“That’s right. Among all the confirmed mutants worldwide, you were the last to complete your mutation. And as you mentioned, there really have been many incidents. Like mutant crimes.”
“Ah.”
“So honestly, we were quite worried. While mutants are generally controllable, the later the mutation completes, the more dramatically the physical abilities are enhanced.”
“Wow.”
“So, do you feel any discomfort right now? Or any areas where you feel pain?”
Pain…? No, not particularly.
“No. Nothing in particular.”
“Then… could you come over here? Let’s start with the examination.”

After the examination, it was time to test the extent of my physical abilities.
The place where the doctor took me was a space filled with barriers that looked solid just by looking at them, and various structures.
There’s such a place in the basement of the building?
It was like a scene from a secret society movie, and I let out an exclamation of admiration.
“But, is there a need for such facilities in a normal hospital?”
“It’s a kind of physical test. A medical check, you might say? After all, since mutants also need to return to their daily lives, they need to be aware of how much power they possess. By the way, I didn’t expect such structures to be built in the hospital either.”
“Ah… I guess so. I could cause a catastrophe if I accidentally swing something wrong.”
“There have actually been similar cases. When mutants first appeared and there were no guidelines, one mutant accidentally swung their hand and a person who was hit suffered serious injuries.”
“Then it could be even more dangerous.”
“I suppose so. That’s why I hope you’ll take this seriously.”
The medical check proceeded quite smoothly. And during the medical check, I was able to confirm one fact.
“If I don’t control my strength properly, I could end up having to clean up several corpses.”
“Hahaha… Indeed, it’s fortunate that you’re not violent, Seohyun. A disaster was truly about to happen.”
“That’s true. Maybe my strangely calm demeanor is a safety measure to prevent me from swinging my power recklessly.”
“That’s a possibility too.”
The doctor let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the scene I had created.
I gazed at where the doctor’s eyes were directed.
The barrier that had been hit by my lightly swung fist was dented. The doctor said that this barrier was made of an extremely hard alloy…
Even I, who had swung it, was dumbfounded.
If I had been thrown into daily life without even a medical check, I might have become a wanted person.
Because this is the power just from lightly swinging my hand.
By the way…
What kind of species characteristic is this jet-black, curled horn on my head? I touched the horn and said to the doctor.
“By the way, what animal does this horn belong to? It looks like a dragon’s horn, like you’d see in fantasy media.”
“Well, it’s highly likely to be a real dragon.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. During your physical transformation process, things like scales kept falling off, wings sprouted, and a tail grew. And finally after the change… no, in this case, ‘shedding’ would be more accurate. After shedding, the tail and wings disappeared, and your appearance stabilized to its current form.”
“Wait a minute. Tail and wings…?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.”
I was speechless. A dragon? A dragon in 2018?
It felt like the world around me had changed into a fantasy.
No, it actually did change to be like a fantasy.
I felt a slight throb in my head.
Because I realized that the change that had happened to me was extraordinary, regardless of my calm attitude.
Is it possible to live a normal life like this?
“Will I be able to live a normal life…?”
“Let’s try together. Many mutants have gone through numerous efforts to return to their normal lives.”
“…Yes. Ah, by the way, how can I discover if I have other abilities?”
“You’ll know naturally. That’s how it’s been for all mutants.”
“I see.”

As soon as I returned to my hospital room after the medical check, I encountered a stranger who had come to see me.
A man in a black suit, who seemed different from a simple security personnel just by the atmosphere he gave off, looked at me and said with a smile.
“Nice to meet you, Yoon Seohyun. I’m from the National Intelligence Service.”
“…The National Intelligence Service?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly the National Intelligence Service.
Why are people who should be catching spies here?