Seoul Dragon

I think I handled it smoothly… I did handle it well, right?
Huh?
Our Lee Sihyun was looking at me with sparkling eyes, like a fan meeting a star.
At that moment, someone approached us.
I think I saw this friend during orientation too… Was her name Nam Suyeon?
“Hey, Sihyun. Do you know this person?”
“Ah, yes. She’s the one who saved me before…”
“Saved? From what?”
“Later. I’ll tell you in detail later. Excuse me. By the way, do you have time after class?”
“Of course. I was planning to be at the cafe until my next class since I have some time.”
“Th-then can I join you after this class ends?”
“Yes. Since it’s just an orientation, it will probably end quickly… let’s go together when it’s over.”
“Yes!”
Honestly, I wanted to shout NO, but considering what Professor Jeongmin said, it felt a bit uncomfortable to push away someone with such sparkling eyes.

“Was that someone you know? What’s this about saving you?”
Sihyun was smiling brightly.
She thought today might be a lucky day. Ah, would her luck turn bad now?
But at least she wouldn’t be as unlucky as Kim Chŏmji. Unlike his life marked by tragedy, her life didn’t end at that place two months ago.
Sihyun wondered where to start her story and then opened her mouth.
“You know how a Minotaur-type mutant caused a disturbance at the cafe where I work two months ago, right?”
“Of course I know.”
“I was at the scene then.”
“What!?”
“And I was working there when the minotaur came in destroying the cafe.”
“Wait, wait. You’re joking, right?”
“It’s not a joke. I really… almost died back then. That mutant was trying to kill me.”
“But how did you survive…?”
“The person you just saw saved me.”
“What? How?”
Sihyun considered how much she should say.
And she decided not to mention that Seohyun was a mutant.
She thought it would be impolite to say that when she hadn’t revealed it herself.
Revealing that she was a mutant should solely be Seohyun’s decision.
Class of 2014.
And the same name.
From there, Sihyun recognized that the fierce-looking senior she had seen during orientation was the kind mutant who had saved her.
She didn’t want to add to the rumors about someone who was already being treated as a scary senior due to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Instead, Sihyun slightly embellished the situation.
Although she wasn’t thrilled about lying to Suyeon, she planned to apologize and confess the truth to Suyeon if Seohyun ever revealed herself as a mutant.
“When I was lying there unable to do anything, she quickly saved me. She grabbed my hand and helped me up. And she drew the Minotaur-type mutant’s attention to give me time to escape.”
“Come to think of it, didn’t they say a dragon-type mutant appeared then? So could it be her?”
“No, no. This is the story before the dragon-type mutant appeared. The lightning struck only after we had left the scene.”
“Ah… Wow. Then she’s your lifesaver?”
“Yes. I never expected to meet her here.”
“What department is she from?”
“I don’t know that either.”
“This is like a movie, a movie. Meeting the person who saved you in the same class. What kind of novel world is this?”
“Ahaha. What’s that supposed to mean? Anyway, I want to go to a cafe with her after this class to thank her, is that okay?”
“I want to say I want to join, but it would be awkward for me to intrude on you two… Alright. But you must introduce me to her later, okay?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll definitely do that. She seems to be a very kind person. I think we can become close quickly.”
“Really? That’s unexpected. It’s the first time I’ve seen you give such a good evaluation of someone.”
“How could someone who cares about others first in a situation where they could be in danger be a bad person?”
“That’s true…”
“Then I’ll see you at the second lecture after this orientation ends.”
“Okay.”

Fortunately, the department head deliberately excluded my name when calling attendance.
It wasn’t just skipping my name since our eyes met… she seems to be considering my situation.
She’s probably giving me autonomy. I should talk to her about this later.
“Anyway, Understanding Modern Literature starts with dealing with modern poetry and modern novels…”
The orientation on how the class would be conducted throughout the semester began. Of course, I already know since I took it at the beginning of this year.
True to being an orientation, the department head ended the lecture with a smile shortly after.
“It seems a bit much to keep you here too long for an orientation, right? From the next class, I’ll upload the papers on the internet, so you can print them and bring them. Well, let’s work hard this semester. Got it?”
“Thank you!”
Additionally, our merciful department head doesn’t particularly force us to buy textbooks.
In science and engineering or other fields, there’s a lot of talk about professors forcing students to buy textbooks… but at least our department doesn’t have much of that.
Unless it’s an introductory course, they usually upload all materials on the internet, so there’s no unnecessary expense.
As soon as the class ended, students gathered in groups and left the classroom.
I should leave immediately since I had made an appointment, but I felt I should at least thank the department head.
“Department Head.”
“Ah, Seohyun. I didn’t call your name during attendance just in case, is that okay?”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“So. When do you plan to reveal that you’re a mutant?”
“I was going to talk to you about that. Since it’s not something I can hide forever, I’m planning to reveal it to my classmates today, and then at the opening assembly soon.”
“…That’s a tough decision. Let me know if you need help.”
“Haha. I don’t think that will be necessary.”
I don’t think I’ll need the department head’s help. It would be strange for a professor to get involved in student troubles in the first place.
And even if trouble arises, it probably won’t be that significant.
“Alright. Listen to the lectures diligently.”
“Ah, but Professor.”
“Yes?”
“Will there be group projects this time?”
“No. Last semester, everyone did them so poorly. It seemed better to just give individual assignments instead.”
“Haha…”
As soon as the conversation with the department head ended, I went looking for Sihyun.
And not long after, I could see Sihyun waiting for me at the back of the classroom.
I approached her casually.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Ah, no. Not long at all.”
“I’m sorry. I had something to tell the department head. Related to being a mutant.”
“Ah.”
“By the way, do you know where your friend from earlier went?”
“We agreed to meet separately later. I thought it might be uncomfortable for you if she came along, considering your circumstances.”
From Sihyun’s words, I could immediately understand why she had a good reputation and popularity in the department.
It wasn’t just because “she had an appointment with me,” but because she asked her friend for understanding to avoid revealing that I was a mutant.
Usually, there are quite a few people who bring their friends to these appointments.
Seeing such behavior come naturally indicates that she’s a person with very right-minded thinking.
She’s the type of person I like the most.
“You didn’t need to be so considerate. I was planning to reveal being a mutant soon anyway.”
“I see. By the way, you can speak casually with me. I’m your junior by quite a bit.”
“That will come after we get a bit closer. When I start speaking casually with someone, I tend to treat them a bit too informally, so I try to be careful.”
As I smiled while saying that, Sihyun nodded as if she understood.
“I see. Then… are you the senior from the rumors, Seohyun?”
“I probably am. Since I’m the only one named Yoon Seohyun in the Korean Literature department from class of 2011 to 2018.”
“Then, you were originally male…?”
“Yes. I looked quite fierce. And caused quite a bit of trouble. Anyway, since we’re not going to keep standing here, shall we head to the cafe?”
“Ah, yes!”
After arriving at the cafe, we ordered two coffees and sat down.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’m not usually like this, but your behavior is commendable, so I’ll specially tell you.”
“They say you fought with the current fourth-year seniors.”
“Ah, haha. You ask about that first? I thought it would be about mutation.”
“I’m curious about that too.”
“Then, let’s talk slowly. Like most departments, Korean Literature had particularly strict hierarchy. Even though it’s not the Physical Education department, seniors would summon juniors whenever they felt like it… I was biding my time because I hated seeing that. Then there was a thug-like… no, a senior among the fourth-years, who messed with my classmate, and that’s when I exploded.”
“Ah.”
“Well, from then on, as you know, I became a loner. After all, the current fourth-years were influential in the department when they were third-years. And I wasn’t the type to approach others anyway.”
“According to my classmate, there were some second-year seniors who wanted to get close to you…”
“It’s not that there weren’t any, but I wasn’t interested. I particularly dislike being dragged to drinking parties. I have a low alcohol tolerance. I also didn’t want to cause trouble while drunk. It’s all in the past now. Treating a junior like this is quite rare for me.”
“Haha. Should I consider it an honor?”
“Honor is a bit much.”
“Just bringing me this far means I’ve passed by your standards, right?”
“That’s right. Actually, I was just planning to buy you coffee and end it, but you pass for not bringing your friend. That means you considered me being a mutant.”
“You’re really picky.”
“I hear that a lot. My principle is that relationships should be narrow and deep.”
“I’m similar.”
“For someone who says that, you seemed quite popular? When you first entered, my classmates were all excited. They said a good junior had joined. It was like that during orientation too.”
“That’s because the third-year seniors always treated me well… I just have many people who view me favorably. My fundamental nature is similar to yours, senior.”
“What, were you quite familiar with them? Usually, when someone views another favorably, it’s because that person is that good.”
“Thank you for seeing me in a good light.”
“By the way, that’s good. My classmates are all decent guys. Even though I’m quite prickly, they’re the reason I was able to have any department life at all. Ah, but there weren’t any weird guys trying to hit on you, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Well, they’re not the type. Ah, this is a joke, okay? They all have proper girlfriends. Sadly, I was the only one without one. Well, now I can’t date anyway.”
“Ahaha… So, since you were originally male, don’t you feel any confusion?”
“No. Because of my species characteristic. And I wasn’t particularly interested in dating to begin with.”
“I see. By the way, the news said you’re a dragon-type mutant… is that true?”
“Yes. A dragon. I have wings too.”
“Wings!?”
At that moment, Sihyun’s eyes sparkled.
“I can’t bring them out now. The part of the clothes over the wing joint would all tear off, making the back completely bare. Unless it’s an off-shoulder with an exposed back, I tend not to bring them out.”
“I see… Are they big wings?”
“They’re huge. When fully spread, each wing is about 2 meters long? Both together are about 4 meters.”
“Wow.”
“Well, I’ll show you later when we get closer. Any other questions?”
“You struck lightning before, right? Is there anything else you can do?”
“Yes. I can control fire, and I can also make it rain.”
“…It feels like a mix of Eastern and Western dragons.”
“It does. Come to think of it, controlling rain, lightning clouds, and weather phenomena are characteristics of Eastern dragons, while controlling fire and having wings are characteristics of Western dragons.”
“That’s fascinating.”
“I hear that a lot. Anything else you’re curious about? Normally, this kind of bonding with freshmen would happen in the first semester, but since I’m only doing it now, as a special service, I’ll treat you to lunch later. You can bring your friend from earlier then.”
“I’m grateful, but… shouldn’t I be the one treating you? Since I’m alive thanks to you.”
“I have a lot of money. And it’s a bit odd for a senior to be treated by a junior. If you really insist, you can buy me a coffee later. Not today.”
“I will.”
“By the way, what’s your next class?”
“Um… Classical Poetry and Culture.”
“Same as mine. Ah, would you like to hear some good news?”
“What news?”
“The Understanding Modern Literature we just had, there will be no group projects this time.”
At that, Sihyun’s face brightened. After all, regardless of what it is, no college student likes group projects.