8. Yongju, Returns to Life
Rok looked directly at Suryeon. He felt a simultaneous sense of relief and a thrill. My master, my restraint. What a lovely confinement.
Rok smiled brightly. At that, Suryeon grumbled.
“Can you not smile like that? No matter how I look at it, that smile makes you look like the villain.”
“I can’t help but smile when I see you. Now, stay still for a second.”
Rok gently took her hand. The warmth of her grip had become familiar now. Then, as if suddenly remembering, Rok spoke.
“Ah, since this is your first time as a Yongju (Dragon Master) in this life, let me tell you one thing.”
“What is it?”
Suryeon, who had been looking at him with a disgruntled expression, tilted her head.
“The moment you become the Yongju, we enter a symbiotic relationship. I can use my power based on your divine energy. So, if you die, I die. If I die, you die.”
“……”
Rok spoke with a quite serious expression. Suryeon was speechless. Divine energy. Such a thing was only important to the heads of the Great Families; it had nothing to do with a “Non-Attuned” (Musung-ja) like herself. Thus, she had never tried to cultivate it, let alone made an attempt.
She stared at Rok with a face full of bewilderment. Rok shrugged as if he understood.
“If you don’t want to keep collapsing, you’d better start growing your divine energy.”
“I don’t see why I should. I’m a Non-Attuned to begin with, so I don’t even have the innate divine power passed down through the family—”
“Do you want me to die?”
“……”
When Rok intentionally put on a pitiful face, she felt a pang of guilt. Though she wasn’t used to the current Rok, she still remembered him as a baby lizard. The Rok who crunched on apples so well. The Rok who occasionally threw tantrums over his food. Though their time together wasn’t long, he was the one who brought warmth to her dry, desolate life. That is to say, her affection for him as a pet still remained. She couldn’t let Rok die. Suryeon replied with a sullen face.
“No.”
“Besides, you don’t want to die helplessly like this anymore, do you?”
At Rok’s steady explanation, she nodded reflexively. He said that staying in this “Middle Realm” was the best she could do without a contract. Looking at Rok, she hardened her resolve.
I will live. I will live and find the bastards who killed me and take my revenge. I will slaughter those who interrupted my peaceful life of exile.
Rok felt truly delighted seeing the fierce spark in her eyes. He grinned.
“Alright, then let us contract. Come closer.”
Suryeon nodded and slowly approached him. Then, a magic circle glowing with red light appeared where Rok stood.
“My monarch, my master, my restraint. Is Musung Cheong Suryeon the one who seeks to contract with me through the Imprint? Do you swear to bind this covenant through these words?”
Following Rok’s words, the magic circle glowed an even more vivid red. Suryeon swallowed hard. Once she answered, there was no turning back. After a final moment of hesitation, she closed her eyes tight and then opened them. Perhaps thanks to Rok’s power, the words of the covenant flowed out smoothly.
“My dragon, my Mir, my Rok. I swear to bind this covenant through these words.”
Rok smiled radiantly. Subsequently, the magic circle was absorbed into both of them. Ancient characters then covered Rok and Suryeon’s faces and bodies like tattoos. She felt a brief twisting sensation in her gut, but it soon vanished. The magic circle disappeared as well.
“Now, since we’ve contracted, bring me back to life.”
She glared fiercely at Rok. Rok smirked and snatched her wrist. The strength in his grip was different from when he was a child. Was this the power of the contract? Rok suddenly let out a short laugh.
“Our dear Dragon Master… your divine energy is practically converging toward zero.”
“I’ve never used divine energy before.”
She replied with intentional confidence. Therefore, Rok wouldn’t be able to do anything mischievous with his power. It wasn’t as if the Sunnong Palace would be destroyed by her divine energy.
“It’s going to be very dizzy.”
After dropping those words, Rok kissed the wrist he had snatched. She tried to yell, “What are you doing?!” but couldn’t. Her vision turned pure white, and she collapsed.
“That’s why I told you to grow your divine energy.”
With Rok’s chiding voice as the last thing she heard, she sank into an endless darkness.
After Suryeon collapsed, the procession was in absolute chaos. Screams erupted everywhere. Some hurriedly fled the line, while others circled around Suryeon. She was as pale as a corpse and did not move an inch.
“The arrow pierced her straight through; she must be dead.”
“This is why I warned them several times that Non-Attuned individuals are nothing but trouble…”
The officials of the Shinnong Kingdom spoke harshly even toward the deceased lying right before them. So-han rushed through the crowd toward Suryeon. He couldn’t believe it. Cheong Suryeon was dead. It felt vain and hollow. When Suryeon was with So-han, she would occasionally show a smile in the records room—a smile she never showed elsewhere. She had been so happy about her exile. So-han’s legs gave out, and he knelt before the dead Suryeon.
“Why…”
Before he could even discover the direction of this heart-heavy feeling he felt whenever he saw her, she was gone. So-han stared at Suryeon with a vacant expression. Though it was nearly noon, the wind felt exceptionally cold. It was then.
“Get out.”
A chilling voice suppressed the crowd. The owner of the voice was the current King of Shinnong, Jae-hu. Forgetting his duty as the chief mourner, he appeared before So-han with a frigid expression. Glaring at the elderly official, Jae-hu spoke.
“To blather such words even before the dead… it isn’t even funny anymore.”
“Y-Your Majesty.”
The official who had spoken was now trembling violently. Jae-hu was furious. His anger was nothing short of icy.
“The procession is halted. Shinnong-pung!”
As Jae-hu shouted sharply, a presence that hadn’t been felt until now suddenly emerged. It was like the wind. The Shinnong-pung was a group of warriors existing solely for the safety of the Shinnong family. It was said that only the head of the Shinnong family (the current King) could command them, and they usually served him by erasing their presence. Those present could not hide their shock at confirming the existence of the rumored Shinnong-pung.
“Bring Cheong Suryeon to my palace.”
“Your command is received!”
At Jae-hu’s quiet but cold voice, the Shinnong-pung executed the mission swiftly. One of them hoisted Suryeon onto his back.
“But Your Majesty, she is deceased—”
At the voice of a tactless official who cut in, Jae-hu looked at him with a hollow gaze.
“Ah, I see you want to die too.”
The official turned pale and hurriedly prostrated himself. Seeing Jae-hu, So-han thought blankly:
‘So this is the aura (Gi) of a King…’
Dong So-han did not wait for Jae-hu’s orders. He followed the faint presence of the Shinnong-pung. He, too, was a warrior among warriors with keen senses. Jae-hu anticipated exactly where the vanished Dong So-han was headed.
Jae-hu quickened his pace.
Toward Suryeon, who was not yet dead.
Only after a considerable amount of time had passed did Suryeon bolt upright. It was a plush bed, a wide space that lacked even a hint of human warmth. Furthermore, many items were decorated with the dragon that protected the Shinnong family.
“My God, I’d believe it if someone said this was the King’s bedroom.”
As Suryeon muttered softly, she felt a presence nearby. She saw So-han, looking strange as if he were about to burst into tears. So-han rushed to her bedside.
“Cheong Suryeon!”
“I’m not deaf. Don’t shout…”
When Suryeon scolded him with a tired face, So-han let out a short laugh. This was the Suryeon he knew. The usual her, indifferent and bothered by everything. Because he had waited for this moment so desperately, So-han reflexively reached out his hand toward Suryeon’s cheek.
Whoosh!
With the sound of roaring flames, a blaze blocked his hand. The fire was so hot and intense that So-han hurriedly pulled back. As the flames died down, a dragon appeared, glaring at him overtly with red eyes. Seeing the dragon react sensitively the moment he tried to touch her, So-han unconsciously bit his lip.
“Cheong Suryeon, don’t tell me…”
“Well, it happened. I had no choice if I wanted to live.”
When Suryeon answered gloomily, So-han could say nothing. The arrow had accurately pierced her. It was a miracle that she was alive and acting as if nothing happened. To return that consequence to “nothingness,” a contract with a dragon must have been inevitable. So-han decided to just be grateful for now that Suryeon had returned alive.
Kiyaaaa—!
The dragon hissed at So-han. With flames flickering, the sight was quite threatening. It was as if telling him to get lost. So-han furrowed his brows.
“Can’t he take a human form before the King sees him?”
“The thing is… neither he nor I have the strength for that.”
“He did it just fine before the contract.”
Suryeon sighed as So-han spoke with an incredulous expression.
“He says my divine energy is so tiny (the size of mouse droppings) that coming back to life was the best he could do.”
When Suryeon replied self-deprecatingly, So-han was once again left speechless. Suryeon had done her best to return alive. Suddenly, So-han felt a laugh bubble up.
‘What’s so funny…?’
Suryeon didn’t have the strength to respond anymore and lowered her head. It seemed true that he relied on her divine energy. Her body felt incredibly heavy and weak. In the midst of that, Suryeon looked for Jae-hu. Her voice was gradually fading.
“Where is His Majesty…?”
“He’ll be here soon. You should sleep until then.”
As So-han spoke calmly, Suryeon blinked slowly. It seemed like a good idea. She even forgot that this was her monarch’s private space.
‘Just a little, let’s sleep just a little…’
Suryeon pulled the covers up and lay down immediately. Sensing Rok’s warm presence at her bedside, she drifted off into a deep sleep. So-han watched her for a moment and then stood up as he sensed a presence approaching.
“Your Majesty.”
“……”
Jae-hu looked at Suryeon lying in the bed without any particular change in expression. However, relief was mirrored in his eyes.
“You watched over her well while I was away. You may leave now.”
Jae-hu replied quietly to Dong So-han. So-han wanted to stay longer, but his sense of reason held him back. Never forgetting his place, his position, and his lord, So-han bowed politely and exited.
Jae-hu looked at the dragon lying by her head.
‘Finally…’
Jae-hu sat by her side and tried to take her hand.
Kiyaaaa—!
As soon as Jae-hu sat down, the dragon rose and hissed. Fierce flames erupted around Suryeon. It was as if warning him not to touch what belonged to him. Jae-hu let out a thin, sharp laugh at the dragon. As if the rising flames were trivial, Jae-hu reached through the fire and grabbed Suryeon’s hand. Rok was emitting flames of relatively low temperature, but they were by no means “comfortable.” Jae-hu’s hand turned red, as if suffering a slight burn. Soon, as if running out of strength, the dragon began to cough and stopped breathing fire. However, it still glared at Jae-hu. Jae-hu stared back at the dragon with amusement. He looked at it with no more emotion than one would look at a stone rolling on the street.
“Mmm…”
When she tossed and turned in her sleep, Jae-hu, still holding her hand, smiled faintly. Only then did life return to Jae-hu’s expression.
“It isn’t time yet. Is it?”
Jae-hu’s bewitching gaze was, as always, fixed upon her.
