Chapter 50

Oppa, What Do We Do Now…?

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Around the time gates first opened, monsters poured out, and Awakened individuals capable of fighting them emerged, a common thought crossed many minds.

If once-fictional concepts like monsters, artifacts, and magic actually existed, why couldn’t dragons—creatures long confined to myth—be real as well? Some insisted dragons were out there somewhere, simply waiting to be discovered.

Their predictions were spot on.

Dragons truly existed, and without humanity’s knowledge, they had quietly made Earth their home. The only reason humans remained oblivious was that the dragons perfectly concealed their identities and blended into modern society.

While a rare few like Sia deliberately crossed dimensions through advanced portal magic for a specific purpose, most had been swept through dimensional rifts, voluntarily or otherwise. Whatever brought them here, once on Earth, they did what dragons did best: indulged in their personal amusements.

They lived as students, office workers, politicians, famous celebrities, and hunters. Hiding their true nature, they immersed themselves across all walks of life, savoring novel experiences their home realms could never offer.

Yet, even while enjoying these lives, they occasionally craved the company of their own kind. Stranded in an unfamiliar world, discovering a fellow dragon was a welcome relief. Since dragons could easily recognize one another, establishing contact was effortless. Sensing each other’s presences over time, they organized periodic gatherings to socialize.

Today’s gathering had been arranged to welcome Sia, a newcomer to Earth.

However, though welcoming a new member usually made for a warm occasion, the air inside the lair felt unnaturally tense.

“I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to gather here today despite your busy schedules,” announced Rokan, hosting the gathering as both chairman and grandfather to the guest of honor.

“Not at all. Making time for our kind is only natural,” one dragon replied smoothly.

“And when we heard the newcomer was your granddaughter, we were far too curious to pass up the invitation,” added another.

On the surface, the elephant in the room had not yet been brought up. Rokan personally greeted each guest visiting his granddaughter’s lair, welcoming them warmly, while Sia politely introduced herself to fellow dragons she was meeting for the first time.

“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to meet members of our race so unexpectedly in an unfamiliar dimension,” Sia said graciously.

“The feeling is mutual. What could be more comforting than gaining another compatriot with whom we share common ground?”

“Welcome, Shasha. Let’s meet like this from time to time and talk.”

Everyone welcomed her warmly into their circle, yet both Rokan and Sia could feel the chilly undercurrent running beneath the pleasantries.

Then, Evan—a dragon who had been conversing with Rokan moments earlier—stepped toward Sia.

“How are you finding life here, Shasha?”

“I was worried at first, but with Grandfather here, I’ve had no trouble settling in,” she answered stiffly, attempting to politely end the conversation.

Evan, however, had no intention of letting her walk away.

“Why leave out your human boyfriend?”

The moment Minjun was mentioned, the atmosphere inside the lair turned sub-zero.

About half the dragons present already knew about him, though none had wanted to ruin a welcome party by raising the topic. But the moment Evan spoke those words, the gathering crossed a line from which there was no returning.

“A human… boyfriend?” a dragon who hadn’t known asked in surprise.

Evan turned to her with a cold smile. “Yes. There is nothing inherently wrong with taking a human lover to pass the time. The real issue lies elsewhere.”

The remaining dragons stopped their idle chatter and turned their full attention to Evan.

“Judging by how utterly smitten you are, Shasha, it appears you intend to enter an Eternal Covenant with a human. I assume I am mistaken?”

The Eternal Covenant was the dragon equivalent of marriage. However, unlike human marriage, once dragons entered this covenant, it bound them unconditionally for the rest of their lives. More importantly, the covenant could only ever be formed between two dragons. Without it, dragon society did not even recognize two beings as legitimate lovers.

In short, Minjun and Sia’s relationship was something dragon society fundamentally refused to acknowledge.

Sia pressed her lips together and answered firmly, “…That’s right. I intend to enter the Eternal Covenant with him.”

“With a human?” Evan countered, raising an eyebrow. “Are the customs surrounding the Eternal Covenant somehow different in your home dimension?”

He framed it as a genuine question, but everyone present knew better. Regardless of origin, all dragons shared core traditions, and the Eternal Covenant was sacred.

“Evan,” Rokan interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. “That is enough. Given the occasion, we can discuss this privately another time.”

Hoping to protect his granddaughter, Rokan tried to defuse the situation, but Evan ignored him entirely.

“Dragons can never truly love beings outside our race,” Evan pressed on relentlessly. “If you believe what you feel is romantic love, Shasha, you are mistaking pity or fondness for devotion.”

“…Why are you doing this?” Sia’s voice trembled slightly.

She knew other dragons wouldn’t understand; she had planned to reveal everything only after Minjun fully transformed into a dragon. But why was Evan prying so aggressively into her personal life? Why drag this out in front of every dragon living on Earth? Could he not simply pretend not to notice?

Sia’s eyes welled with frustration as her relationship was dragged into public scrutiny like a crime.

“Compared to our lifespans, your connection with him is a fleeting moment,” Evan continued coldly. “To make a lifelong covenant with such an insignificant creature… It would be far more accurate to call him part of your temporary entertainment. A human may play the role of a dog in a play, Shasha. But neither during the performance nor after it ends does the human truly fall in love with the dog.”

“Evan!” Rokan growled, a subtle wave of Dragon Fear rippling from his frame.

Evan didn’t flinch. If anything, his tone grew even sharper. “Shasha, may I ask why you made such a foolish choice?”

“…”

Sia glared at him, her eyelids trembling as she fought back tears.

“You are aware that even if you build a life together, you can never have children, aren’t you?” Evan added, striking another nerve.

Though they all looked human right now, those bodies were merely magical polymorphs. Sia could never conceive a child with a different species.

“Our race abides by an unspoken rule not to interfere in this world or in each other’s affairs,” Evan stated, looking around the room. “But this is not something we can simply overlook.”

Several dragons nodded in agreement, casting disapproving looks at Sia. Yet not everyone held hostility.

“Evan, you’re going too far,” one dragon chimed in defensively. “Comparing a dragon’s love for a human to a human’s affection for a pet is absurd from the start.”

“Agreed,” another added. “If I may be blunt, outdated traditions like the Eternal Covenant ought to be abolished anyway. Everyone treats it as sacred, but it’s little more than a curse that traps two people together long after their feelings have faded.”

Arguments broke out as several dragons took Sia’s side, while Rokan sternly ordered Evan to stand down once more. What was supposed to be a warm reception had devolved into a heated shouting match.

Sia’s eyes burned red. She had to find a way through this—for her grandfather, for the dragons defending her, for Minjun, who was being insulted through no fault of his own, and for herself.

What am I supposed to do?

A single option crossed her mind, though she feared it might make things worse. Still, doing something was better than standing by helplessly.

“I…” Sia forced her voice above the noise. “Oppa is prepared to change his race for me!”

Her sudden confession hit the room like a thunderbolt.

“Shasha, what did you just say?” “A human… changing his race?”

The hall erupted into fresh turmoil. Amid the chaos, Sia pushed forward.

“He knows everything! He knows I’m a dragon, and he knows he has to become one if we’re ever going to enter the Eternal Covenant! That’s why he’s pouring everything he has into making our dream come true!”

In truth, Minjun knew nothing about the Eternal Covenant or dragon social norms, but he did know he needed to become a dragon to fully share his life with her. So what she said wasn’t entirely false.

Sia glanced at Rokan with tear-filled eyes, silently asking if she had done the right thing. Rokan wore a solemn expression, gently taking his granddaughter’s trembling hand.

Unfortunately, her revelation did not produce the sympathy she had hoped for.

“Does that human actually believe such a thing is possible? Ridiculous.” “Ridiculous or not, the ambition is admirable. A human tried that in my realm long ago—though he failed in the end.” “Admirable?! The man simply doesn’t know his place!” “Exactly! That isn’t courage, it’s arrogant delusion!”

The room fractured even further, though the critical voices heavily outnumbered her defenders. To many dragons, the idea of a mere human—a lesser life-form—daring to covet the status of a dragon was deeply offensive.

Then another dragon raised a crucial point. “Wait. There is something we’ve overlooked. That human already knows of our existence. And the only reason he knows…” He turned toward Sia. “…is because of you, Shasha.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Since settling on Earth, they had meticulously hidden their existence. Exposing their true nature to humanity would bring endless complications.

“Shasha,” Evan spoke again, his voice dropping into a chilling register. “Do you realize what you have done?”

“…He only knows about Grandfather and me!” Sia argued softly, shrinking back under their intense gazes. “He doesn’t know any of you exist! I would never let him bring harm to our kind—”

“You keep calling him ‘Oppa,’” Evan interrupted coldly. “As I recall, you are roughly two thousand five hundred years old, Shasha. Not twenty-five. Who exactly is this human? And why are you so stubbornly attached to him of all people?”

“Indeed,” another elder agreed. “That has bothered me as well.”

“Rokan,” a senior dragon turned to the former Lord. “You know something, don’t you? As our leader, as the wisest among us, surely you see how unnatural this all is. Fulfill your duty. Either explain your granddaughter’s actions or guide her back to the proper path.”

Rokan was the sole ancient dragon among them, a former Dragon Lord whom everyone deeply respected. Yet as Sia’s elder, they held him responsible for her actions and demanded a resolution.

Sia squeezed her eyes shut while Rokan let out a low, heavy sigh. Even with thousands of years of wisdom, he couldn’t discern the right path forward in this moment.

After a long silence, Rokan met Sia’s eyes. It was a truth bound to come out eventually.

Reading the implicit message in his gaze, Sia gathered the last of her courage and looked at the crowd.

“…In my previous life, I was human, too.”

✦ ✦ ✦

No matter how much I think about it, something feels wrong.

It was late on the night of Minjun’s rank reassessment, and his mind was in a complete knot. Under normal circumstances, Sia would have called him hours ago. The complete lack of contact meant something unusual had happened.

Since she was a dragon, he didn’t fear for her physical safety, but her abrupt departure earlier weighed heavily on him. Unable to reach her, Minjun decided to turn in and try calling again in the morning, laying down on his bed with a heavy heart.

Buzz.

His phone vibrated softly against the nightstand. Hoping it was her, he grabbed it instantly.

[Sia]: Oppa.

It was a single, short message. The moment he saw it, Minjun initiated a video call.

Unexpectedly, Sia rejected the video feed and immediately dialed back with a standard voice call instead.

“Sia? Sia! Are you okay? What happened?”

“…Oppa.” Her voice sounded raspy and strained, as though she had been weeping for hours.

“Sia, take a deep breath. Tell me slowly, what’s wrong?”

Sia choked back a soft sob, forcing out the words one by one:

“What… what do we do now…?”