By Zephyria 
“Let me get some sleep, you lunatic!”
Jeolgon screamed, covering his ears. Still, the thumping sound showed no sign of stopping.
“Damn it, what kind of blessing did I think I was getting by locking that monster up.”
It started immediately after he locked him in the cave. The human began to hit the wall—thump, thump, thump. In other words, Jeolgon had been listening to that irritating sound for several time units.
Jeolgon had no way of knowing what Young-pa was plotting. Perhaps he was preparing some bizarre arcane art known only to him. Or perhaps he was drawing attention, waiting for Jeolgon to enter the cave. Either way, he couldn’t sleep because of the noise.
Jeolgon bolted upright and glared toward the cave.
“You brat, if you don’t stop, I’ll eat you for real!”
Even when he shouted, the only response was the tedious thump, thump, thump.
“He’ll probably become tame if I lock him up for three days. Or… maybe a week? A fortnight?”
He had not yet given up on the idea of taming Young-pa. Since his skills were outstanding, he would make a fine lackey, and as a bonus, his appearance was so enchanting that it would be a pleasure to share a blanket.
What truly piqued Jeolgon’s interest was the man’s temperament. The way Young-pa rebelled against restraint and resisted like fire reminded Jeolgon of himself; it was like looking in a mirror.
“He seems even worse than I am… but I like him.”
Jeolgon was appalled by Young-pa’s stubbornness and tenacity, yet he felt a strong fascination. Thus, he waited, anticipating the day he could use him as a plaything.
Thump, thump, thump.
However, that tedious noise was becoming unbearable. He wished it would just stop!
He could have slept elsewhere, but Jeolgon found the idea of moving his sleeping quarters just to avoid a single human repulsive, so he endured it.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Why did that lunatic not rest for a single moment? How was it possible to do such a thing without even closing his eyes? Did he simply not need sleep?
Thump, thump, thump.
“Enough already, you brat!”
Then, something strange happened. The moment Jeolgon shouted, the tedious noise stopped abruptly.
Jeolgon froze, mouth agape. Had the human, who had ignored his words until now, finally grown exhausted?
He waited a moment, but the sudden silence remained unbroken. Jeolgon was delighted that he could finally sleep. At the same time, a creeping sense of anxiety began to stir.
‘Suspicious. Why did he stop?’
Jeolgon rushed out in a single bound. And he beheld an unbelievable sight.
The barrier he had meticulously woven was torn and ragged. Cracks had only just begun to form in the cave wall.
Boom!
With a heavy roar, the starting point of the fissure bulged outward. Then, the cave wall collapsed like a sheet of paper.
Out of the pouring rocks, gravel, and dust, Young-pa walked forth. With bloodshot eyes glaring straight ahead, he carried a limp monster upon his shoulder.
Jeolgon felt the hair on his neck stand on end. Even to someone as notorious a villain as he, Young-pa’s appearance was spine-chilling.
‘This is impossible!’
To neutralize sorcery, one must grasp its structure. The spellcraft Jeolgon used was so complex that few among dragons could dismantle it; there was no way a human eye could perceive its architecture. To begin with, the idea of tearing through a spell by simply thumping a wall was absurd.
“I’ll turn you into dragon meat!”
Young-pa closed the distance in a flash. His pupils glittered with crimson rage. Jeolgon quickly released his disguise and flew up, using sorcery to deflect the gust of wind Young-pa unleashed.
“You are a mad human.”
“And you’re a mad dragon!”
Jeolgon hid among the trees, then soared upward to avoid the wind blades. Sharp hooks narrowly grazed Jeolgon’s scales, clawing through the air.
As Jeolgon abruptly pivoted, he launched sorcery shards shaped into pointed metal toward Young-pa. Young-pa initially dodged them with agile movements, but as the shards flew incessantly, he hid behind a rock.
Seeing him crouch, Jeolgon let out a boisterous laugh. While it might have been difficult to exert his full strength in a narrow cave, he was confident he would lose to no one in an open space. He was an ancient dragon. Even during his time in the heavenly realm, the dragons who could be called his equals were few.
“How laughable. A mere human dares to oppose a dragon.”
“Shut up, you oversized serpent!”
Young-pa leaped, using the air as a stepping stone to jump several more stages. Caught off guard, Jeolgon nearly had his tail severed again.
He retreated, launching a chain-form sorcery at Young-pa. Young-pa narrowly dodged it with a flip and landed on the treetop of a tree. In the next instant, the chains Jeolgon had handled like his own limbs were folded and tangled by a powerful whirlwind.
Young-pa took a deep breath and spread his arms wide. Jeolgon realized he was about to cast a great spell, but it was already too late. A wind field appeared around Young-pa, violently slashing through the air.
Sizzle, crackle!
Streaks of light flickered and vanished within the vortex. Jeolgon blinked, wondering if he had seen incorrectly. Because of this, he failed to react quickly when Young-pa wrapped himself in that sorcery and lunged at him, leaving him scrambling to flee.
“Don’t run away, you pathetic wretch!”
Only after fleeing to a height that Young-pa could not reach, regardless of what he did, did Jeolgon stare blankly down below.
The heterogeneous supernatural power mixed into the wind incantation was lightning. Since the moment he hatched from his egg, Jeolgon had never seen a human use such a spellcasting technique.
Dragons naturally borrow power from nature, but among them, only water dragons can freely manipulate the power of water. Even those water dragons could not make rain fall or summon falling thunder.
Only one dragon possessed the divine power to govern the weather. The master of the heavens, who presided over rain clouds and lightning strikes.
‘Was that truly the human of the Azure Dragon?’
Jeolgon’s scales trembled slightly, making a clattering sound.
He could not possibly connect that hideous human, whose very sight made one frown, with the divine beast said to be the most dignified in the world. However, it was evidence that the spellcraft the human used was somehow related to the eastern azure dragon.
‘If so, all the more reason for me to take him? Before that noble being personally comes to find him!’
On the ground, Young-pa was indiscriminately smashing Jeolgon’s dwelling. Jeolgon descended, wrapping a defensive incantation over his scales like armor.
“Human, let us talk for a moment.”
Young-pa summoned a howling whirlwind, fiercely clawing at the spot where Jeolgon hovered. As Jeolgon dodged here and there as if mocking him, only the innocent forest suffered.
Young-pa looked up at Jeolgon and growled.
“Come down while I’m still being nice, you lowlife.”
“Good grief. I have lived for thousands of years; do you think I’ll die by your hand here?”
“I’m in no mood to joke with you. Just hand over your neck!”
Jeolgon had intended to speak reasonably with Young-pa. However, seeing his insolent attitude and manner of speaking, anger surged within him.
“Arrogant brat. You’ll only come to your senses once you lose a limb.”
“What? I can’t hear the words of a coward.”
“I’ve endured and endured, but this brat!”
Jeolgon, who had limited his power because he hadn’t originally intended to harm Young-pa, lost his reason. He charged, surrounding himself with a thick layer of small, sharp materials.
Humans were small and insignificant compared to dragons. Young-pa’s height was at most the length of Jeolgon’s leg, and if Jeolgon opened his mouth wide, he could swallow him whole. Yet, Young-pa only smiled, his eyes sparkling.
‘A true lunatic.’
Shuddering, Jeolgon slammed his body into him. The human, who should have been crushed by a mere graze, neither dodged nor fled, but instead threw a punch toward Jeolgon.
Boom!
As the two forces collided, a massive shock shook the earth and sky. For a moment, Jeolgon’s vision went white. Golden lightning sparks radiated in several directions around the human’s wickedly grinning face. Not only had he taken Jeolgon’s attack head-on, but he had used the azure dragon’s power to counterattack.
Seeing several scales charred despite the defensive incantation, Jeolgon was enraged. No human had ever made him this angry.
He roared with all his might and slammed his tail into the ground. Young-pa leaped to avoid it and attempted to punch Jeolgon’s neck. Jeolgon twisted his body and pushed Young-pa away with his back.
‘If I do not truly kill him, I am the one who will die.’
Jeolgon realized there was only one way.
As he soared high and began to weave a spell, a mysterious hemisphere formed around Young-pa. In truth, it was not a sphere but small, sharp crystals—wicked weapons that could sever the throat of a fragile human with a single graze. Once the spell was complete, thousands of exquisite weapons were poised to strike Young-pa.
Standing on two feet and looking up, Young-pa chuckled as if the situation were amusing. As he raised his arm, a wind field formed around him. Within it, streaks of bright yellow thunderbolt flickered and vanished repeatedly.
“Sorcery against sorcery, that works too.”
His arrogance had crossed a line; it had moved past annoying Jeolgon to the point of inducing fear.
Jeolgon arched his brows and glared at the human. He wanted to ask Young-pa if there was anything in the world he actually feared. But he decided to bury that question with the man’s corpse.
The ultimate spellcraft summoned by the dragon and the human was about to clash. Birds had flown away and wild beasts had long since hidden in their dens. Even the heavens and earth, the mountains and waters, seemed to hold their breath in fear.
“Stop.”
Someone’s voice broke the silence.
Jeolgon froze in mid-air as if time had been stolen from him. The thousands of weapons he boasted of lost their focus and wavered, and his golden scales rattled with a trembling sound.
Jeolgon’s fear-stricken eyes looked far below. There stood a man with black hair tied back.
“By ‘stop,’ I meant withdraw your spellcraft.”
The low voice revealed no emotion. There was not even an impression of haste or laziness. Yet, at those words, the sorcery that had been heavily pressing down on the air vanished instantly.
The one who commanded the dragon so boldly took the form of a human, but he was a being incomparably greater.
One who seemed indifferent yet did not forgive. One who gave a soft impression yet did not bend.
“It has been a long time, Jeolgon.”
There is power in a dragon’s name; the history from the time he was a young dragon until now pierced through Jeolgon’s heart, overflowing and making him shudder.
It had been a thousand years since Jeolgon had heard his name. Since childhood, he had been a dragon of strong nature and firm spirit. Thus, he was given a name meaning to cut off greed and know one’s place. On the other hand, the Azure Dragon had been a quiet yet versatile dragon. He was given a name meaning to fly higher than anyone else.
Jeolgon had envied the Azure Dragon since he was very young. He envied his striking appearance and blessed talents, but above all, he coveted his name. Jeolgon often wondered how their fates might have differed if their names had been swapped.
Jeolgon knew the other’s name and exactly how to call him. But he did not dare utter it. When he met the Azure Dragon’s dry gaze with his own smoldering eyes, something unbelievable happened.
“Biryoo!”
Jeolgon flinched involuntarily. The human, who had been baring his teeth like a wild beast and defying him, was now running toward the Azure Dragon with a bright smile.
Dragons do not reveal their names to just anyone, nor do they like their names being called carelessly. How much more so for the owner of a name that was never meant to be called by anyone. Jeolgon watched the Azure Dragon’s expression with intense tension.
However, the Azure Dragon neither punished the human nor scolded him. He showed no reaction, as if it were only natural for the human to behave so insolently. He even allowed Young-pa to wrap his arms around his waist.
After the Azure Dragon said a few words, Young-pa stood politely by his side. Then, with an expression as if in a dream, he looked up at him.
Jeolgon was utterly bewildered, but he quietly descended to the ground. Transforming into human form, he knelt before the Azure Dragon and asked in a trembling voice.
“What brings you all the way here, Azure Dragon?”
Though his head was bowed, he could feel the presence of the divine beast standing before him. A strong scent of blood emanated from the Azure Dragon, as if he had just finished off some serpent’s life. For some reason, he was hiding the power of the wish-fulfilling jewel. Jeolgon took this as a sign that he had no intention of attacking him and felt somewhat relieved.
“Neither this place nor you have changed.”
The Azure Dragon spoke in his characteristic indifferent tone. Whether he was reproaching Jeolgon for taking over his lake as he pleased, or simply making an observation, Jeolgon was as unskilled now as he had been then at discerning his true intentions.
“Because it was so quiet, I thought it was a mountain without a master. Please forgive me.”
Jeolgon hurriedly offered an excuse, but the lie was unnatural. Feeling guilty, he looked up, only to meet a gaze as cold as ice.
‘Damn, the Azure Dragon still hates me.’
It couldn’t be helped. Some things are never forgotten, no matter how much time passes. Jeolgon was still painfully paying the price for what he had done a thousand years ago.
“You are correct. Since I abandoned it long ago, this mountain has no master.”
The Azure Dragon’s answer confused Jeolgon. No dragon was unaware that Asadal Mountain had been the divine dragon’s long-time bathing place. Was this the same person who used to be so picky about bathing? Since when had he become so generous?
As Jeolgon stood with his mouth wide open, unable to speak, the Azure Dragon continued.
“May I borrow your lake for a while?”
“‘My lake’?”
“I intend to rest here for a bit; I trust you have no objections.”
This was absurd. All the ponds of Asadal Mountain originally belonged to the Azure Dragon; it was Jeolgon who had intruded. Even if it were a lake Jeolgon had claimed first, he should have stepped aside without a word if the Azure Dragon wished to bathe there. Yet, he was asking so politely.
“Of… of course, Azure Dragon. I shall leave immediately.”
“No. You will stay at Asadal Mountain.”
“I… will?”
“You have nowhere else to go anyway,” the Azure Dragon added indifferently.
Because that was true, the words stung Jeolgon even more. As he turned his gaze away, he happened to lock eyes with Young-pa.
“Lower your eyes, you snake-head.”
As Young-pa spat this out with a glare, the Azure Dragon let out a small sigh.
“Is it such a difficult request to just keep your mouth shut?”
“I was trying to, but that guy started it with his eyes first.”
“Quiet.”
The man gently admonishing Young-pa was not the bloodless, tearless person Jeolgon knew. Jeolgon concluded that the human was not merely a servant or a plaything.
‘He must be plotting something with that human!’
It was clear the Azure Dragon had come to Asadal Mountain to carry out some plan with the human. Jeolgon didn’t even want to know what it was. He simply wanted to be far away from him.
“If you are to stay here… would I not be in the way, Azure Dragon?”
“Of course you would be,” the Azure Dragon let out a cold laugh. “Do not leave Asadal Mountain, but behave with tact.”
A look of sheer absurdity appeared on Jeolgon’s face. Seeing that vacant expression, the Azure Dragon added,
“If you fulfill your assigned duty, I shall give you a reward.”
“A reward…?”
“The thing you desire most.”
Jeolgon’s eyes widened. The thing he desired most. At those words, his heart began to thumping wildly.
“Would you… truly accept me back into the heavenly realm?”
The Azure Dragon nodded while looking elsewhere. His cold but steady gaze guaranteed that the words were true. Jeolgon prostrated himself flat on the ground.
“What shall I do, Azure Dragon?”
“Well… for starters, it would be best if you prepared food that my servant would find satisfying.”
Jeolgon was devastated. A dragon who brings food to a human! He stood up, trying his best not to look at the human’s smirking face.
“I shall obey your command.”
“Bring plenty. I’m a big eater,” Young-pa added.
Ignoring Young-pa, Jeolgon transformed into a dragon and soared into the sky.
Why the Azure Dragon had come to Asadal Mountain, what the identity of that strange human was, and why he traveled with him—questions swirled in his head, but Jeolgon was more interested in something else than the truth.
It had been nearly a thousand years since he was exiled from the dragon territories and wandered the mortal realm. During that time, the heavenly realm had never once reached out to him. This was a slender thread of opportunity that had finally appeared.
‘I wonder if that mad human likes roe deer…’
Jeolgon flew over the mountain slopes in search of prey.
≋ ≋ ≋
It took a while for the yellow dragon to fly off and for his long tail to disappear from sight. Naturally, Biryoo then crossed his arms with a dissatisfied look.
“You cause trouble the moment I step away for a second.”
“I couldn’t help it. That guy snatched Cheongsimi away.”
Young-pa ran to where Cheongsim was. His pitiful dog was panting heavily. The area around his neck was stained with blood; it seemed Jeolgon had bitten him.
“He’s lost a lot of blood, what should we do?”
Biryoo lowered his posture and examined the wound closely. Then, he pressed his fingers against Cheongsim’s neck and head.
“The wound is not that deep. He will recover if he rests well, so do not worry.”
“Really?”
A ripping sound came from the side, and Biryoo handed over a long strip of cloth.
“Tie the wound with this for now.”
Young-pa did as he was told and then burrowed into Biryoo’s embrace. Wanting to be held tighter, he pulled strongly on Biryoo’s back. Upon touching his warmth, his tension dissipated and his anxious heart calmed.
“I missed you.”
Biryoo silently stroked the back of Young-pa’s head.