#56
Why would a dragon have a birthday? It might make sense for humans with their short lives to remember and celebrate the day they were born, but for dragons who could sleep from 50 years to several hundred years when they hibernated, birthdays weren’t particularly important.
“Stop joking around, when is your real birthday?”
Not knowing how to answer, Derik stood silently, then turned around to face Noah, who had come in front of him and tilted his head up to look at him, and stared down at him thoughtfully.
“Ah. I don’t need friends or anything anyway, why should I say anything to someone who’s leaving?”
As Noah, blinking his large eyes, looked up at him for a while before walking ahead again, Derik followed and raised a hand to stroke his jaw.
When Noah’s curly hair rose slightly in the night breeze, and he grumbled while pressing it down firmly with both hands, the corners of Derik’s mouth rose slightly again.
He truly never got bored watching Noah. It was nice to see him eating well and growing robustly.
Like other humans entering puberty, Noah’s emotions fluctuated, and he too was learning the difference between liking someone and loving someone. After all that playful hugging with Ray, it seemed Noah’s heart had gone in that direction.
But not Ray—rather, Noah should like an ordinary human. If that were the case, Derik might have welcomed it with open arms and helped. Humans should live sweet lives with other humans.
Earlier, he could have stayed by Noah’s side as Aeongi, but sensing that Noah wanted to be alone, he had left. Still, he was keeping an eye on him, and when he saw the unpredictable Ray slipping into Noah’s room, he returned.
He would have hidden in a corner of the garden if he could have heard their conversation, but because Ray had put up a shield, apparently conscious of him, he had no choice but to enter Noah’s room.
But who would have thought they’d be having such a conversation? Seeing Ray, who rarely became flustered, get so confused brought a hollow laugh from Derik.
Seeing Noah proclaim “I like you” in a clear voice made Derik both proud and bitter. The bold confession was so like Noah.
Thinking they would be better alone, he had left them out of “consideration,” but when he saw Noah rushing out after seeing him transformed into Aeongi, he felt pleased.
Did Noah dislike Derik but like Aeongi? Noah hadn’t hesitated to call Derik handsome and the best, but to think that the person he actually liked was Ray. With the intention of teasing Noah, Derik quickly changed back to his human form.
Taking the surprised Noah to the village was also impulsive.
‘Seducing humans is no big deal. Just buy them lots of delicious food, frequently give them expensive and nice gifts. Tell them they’re pretty, that there’s no one but them, things like that. But why? Do you have a human you like?’
‘Get lost.’
‘Want me to be your wingman?’
‘Go away.’
‘I’m only telling you this because it’s you. Try saying you’re leaving. You’ll know immediately by the reaction. If they get angry or seem disappointed, it means you had a good relationship. If they’re happy, it means they disliked you.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘Go tell Noah you’re leaving the academy. Even someone as insensitive as you will understand by the reaction. Simple Noah will surely give a vivid response.’
‘I should quit the academy?’
‘You. You’ll still be with Noah as Aeongi anyway. Just make up some family business or whatever, set it up by saying you’re special so you’re telling him first, something like that.’
‘But why Noah?’
‘…Because you’re both idiots.’
As Derik recalled his conversation with Ray, the word “idiot” that Ray had used at the end made him frown.
Although he felt uneasy that Ray seemed to be playing games with him and Noah, out of curiosity, he did as Ray suggested, and Noah’s expression immediately hardened. Though Noah seemed to be joking and speaking loudly as usual, his face didn’t look happy at all.
If he wanted to, Derik could immediately read a human’s thoughts. It would be no trouble to read even their hidden intentions, but strangely, he had never succeeded in reading Noah’s thoughts and feelings.
“Ah, right. Before you go, you should meet Aeongi.”
Derik was pulled from his thoughts by Noah’s words as he walked ahead.
“What?”
“You’re kind of my best friend, but it’s strange that you haven’t seen Aeongi yet. Ray has seen him, everyone has, so how come only you haven’t? And our Aeongi is really amazing. He has an incredible eye for people. People Aeongi is friendly with from the first meeting are all good people. There are some he completely ignores, and thinking about it, those people don’t seem very nice. So let’s ask Aeongi if you’re really a good person or not.”
“…I’m leaving soon, is that important?”
“Yes. If you’re a good person, I want to stay in touch even after you leave the academy. Honestly, your family is quite formidable. They have a lot of money, and I’ll have a lot to do later, so as a friend, I’d like to build a network to get some cheap loans.”
“What?”
“Why? Don’t you think I’m like that? Among the students attending this academy, how many do you think are here purely because ‘I love learning so much!!’? Everyone comes to build connections. So thinking about using those connections later, you’re a ‘kyeryuk’ to me, a kyeryuk.”
“Kyeryuk?”
“It’s a thing. Speaking of which, I’m craving Chuncheon dakgalbi. Since you’re leaving soon, and I’m getting bored, maybe I should become a chef? I have a ton of amazing ideas.”
Derik glanced at Noah’s back as he turned around completely and walked backward while facing him. Concerned that Noah might get hurt walking backward, he cleared away anything that might cause him to stumble, then frowned again.
At first, he thought it was coincidental, but as time passed, Noah would quite often say things that were incomprehensible.
“Dangerous.”
“Wow. I’m about to shed tears of emotion. Are you worried I might hurt my hands or something?”
“Everyone.”
“What do you mean, everyone?”
“You could get hurt, and people who eat your food could get hurt too.”
“See how you talk. It’s not that I don’t like you, it’s that you don’t like me.”
“That’s not true.”
“What do you mean that’s not true? You’re only accepting of me because it’s me, but you say others would get hurt. Say nicer things.”
“I’m telling you it’s not true.”
“What isn’t?”
“I don’t dislike you. I actually like you.”
Rapid exchanges passed between the two as they walked facing each other, with Derik watching out for Noah who was walking backward, but after Derik’s last words, silence fell, and soon they both stopped.
“…”
In the space filled with people and noise that crowded the street, Noah bit his lower lip firmly.
He knew Derik’s words were a joke, and that made his heart ache even more. You can easily shout that you like someone, but I can’t do that.
“I…”
“Hey, nice painting, isn’t it?”
Noah, who was about to open his mouth hesitantly, closed it at the sudden intrusion of an uninvited voice. This isn’t right. This isn’t right. This is a story that’s only possible in movies or dramas from decades ago. In the 21st century, at this timing, writing such a story would get you criticized. But is this happening here and now?
Noah watched as the wrinkles between Derik’s brows deepened and he slightly tilted his head, then rolled his eyes to look to the side.
“When students wander around late at night, parents worry. We brothers will ease your parents’ worries, you understand?”
Wow, that dialogue is really terrible, and seeing Derik’s face just now was like getting dirty water splashed in my eyes when they were just opening.
How is it that my life never gets serious and can never be serious? Above all, I was more curious about how someone could want to extort money even when looking at the Derik who was standing in front of me now.
“Just hand over some money and continue your date…”
Noah, who was trying to slip away trusting Derik, blinked rapidly at the intruder’s words.
“What did you say?”
“Hand over your money and continue your date…”
“Date…”
Touching his lips with his hand, Noah whispered quietly to himself. Did we look like we were on a date? He said we looked like that. So that’s how others see us.
Noah stopped thinking and quickly felt his pants pockets. He wanted to give some money because he felt good about being called a date, but he had nothing.
Besides… why am I in pajama pants? Have I been walking around the village in pajamas this whole time?
My goodness, pajamas. Why didn’t anyone mention this to me? Above all, Derik, you should have told me.
You don’t really like me, do you? It’s just empty words, right? You weren’t trying to show me around the village but trying to embarrass me on purpose? I thought you were only kind to me, but you were planning to backstab me like this. It’s my fault for liking you because of your looks and voice.
“Hey, when someone is talking…”
Noah, who was clutching his confused head, stared blankly at the man’s hand approaching his shoulder. But before it could touch his body, someone grabbed and twisted that wrist, and simultaneously, that someone embraced him and covered his eyes.
“Noah should only see pretty things.”
Noah unconsciously nodded at the warmth, scent, and low voice of the person holding him. Every time Derik’s body swayed slightly, Noah’s body swayed with it, and he heard someone’s screams as a bonus.
“Are you alright?”
Still in Derik’s embrace, Noah couldn’t say a word.
Did Derik know how to use magic too? Or had he momentarily lost his mind?
After hearing screams until just now, when the hand covering his eyes was removed, Noah found himself standing on the road leading to the academy, a little away from the bustling area.
“Why are you two sneaking out alone to do what?”
The first thing Noah saw when Derik’s hand disappeared and he opened his eyes was Ray’s face right in front of him.
“A date.”
“What?”
“I’m on a date with Noah.”
“I’m the one dating Noah, why is he on a date with you?”
“Both of you, shut up. And don’t follow me.”
Noah wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but somehow, it all seemed to be because of these two. Things had gone wrong since becoming close friends with these two and since people started thinking about what kind of relationship they had.
So, thinking that he needed to distance himself from these two until he could quietly sort out his thoughts, Noah shouted as he escaped from Derik’s embrace.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
