It was around when the sunset started painting the sky orange. Here in the floating island, one could see further off into the horizon.
Kaeul had been watching videos of celebrities through a hologram of her watch and had just fallen asleep. She would sleep like a human, perhaps because she was younger than the other two.
Yu Jitae stared at the blonde hair behind her head, with his head muddled in thought.
“Can I sit next to you for a bit?”
That was Bom’s voice.
He nodded. She walked up to the sofa till she was next to Yu Jitae. Usually, they would have watched TV together without saying anything but it seemed like there was something she wanted to talk about today.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“Can I?”
“If you want.”
“It’s a story about us…”
She threw a glance at Yu Jitae before opening her mouth.
“We were unlucky.”
In an indifferent tone, she started her story.
“Around the time we left, Askalifa had become a bad place for Amusements. Due to a great famine, there was nothing to eat; pandemics covered the continent and there was no end to wars.”
For him, it was a story he hadn’t been interested in during the previous regressions but now, it was necessary for him to listen.
“It had turned into a world that didn’t allow a good experience and the adults wished for us to cross over to a nearby dimension for our Amusements. Fortunately, there had been dragons that had gone to a close world for their own Amusements and we left for ours after having received a bit of their memories.”
“Was that when the dimension became disjointed?”
“Yes. That was something even I couldn’t predict. Due to coming to a dimension too far, we couldn’t return.”
When he gave a nod, Bom continued her words.
“We had quite a hard time because all the things we took with us had been lost. Dolls that can act like humans, as well as Protectors that should be protecting us all disappeared. So we couldn’t mix in with humans as well, and had faced danger.”
Up to there was also something Yu Jitae knew of. He decided to ask something that had been on his mind.
“Why aren’t the adults looking for you.”
He didn’t expect a good answer, because all the dragons in the previous regressions gave a consistent answer of ‘I don’t know’. However, this time around, Bom hesitated a little, as words escaped along with a sigh.
“They can’t.”
“What?”
“Dragons are mentally connected. It’s like being connected by several threads, for example. But on the way here, a few of those strings had been broken. I can’t tell you the details but… that’s why we were anxious. I was like that, and I’m sure Yeorum and Kaeul were too.”
She spoke with a depressed expression before raising her tone back up.
“But after coming here, they are getting better slowly. It feels like our lives are getting stable. Thank you ahjussi.”
Bom’s words reached Yu Jitae in the form of a consolation, as it meant that the direction he chose this round wasn’t wrong.
“By the way, ahjussi.”
“Yeah.”
“Can you send Kaeul to the entertainment industry?”
“…”
It was an abrupt question, but was also something that had to be talked about. Yu Jitae held his words in.
“You see, after coming for our Amusement, I helped Kaeul start streaming on her own because I knew she would like it.”
“And?”
“She wasn’t that popular it seems, for a few months.”
This was a bit questionable for him.
Although he didn’t know much about streaming and the entertainment industry, Kaeul had turned into a successful celebrity a number of times already in the previous lives. There probably wasn’t that big of a reason behind it. It must have been because she was pretty.
And yet, her stream wasn’t popular?
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“So right when we were pondering what to do, she was scouted by someone in the streets. There, they started ordering her to do strange things by using the contract.”
“What did they make her do?”
“Kaeul didn’t say anything regarding that so I’m not too sure either.”
That must be why she had run to the amazon, and took poisonous mushrooms.
“If you could get rid of the bad people, ahjussi, wouldn’t it be possible for Kaeul to become a celebrity?”
Shutting his mouth, Yu Jitae closed his eyes.
Around that point in time, Kaeul’s breath changed, as well as her heartbeat rate. She had been listening to the conversation while pretending to be asleep. Thus, a careful response was what was required.
To the Regressor, it wasn’t a great situation to be in.
Every few rounds, the Gold Dragon had become a celebrity, either as an actor, or a singer. To a daughter of the Gold race, which was the closest race to human society, it might perhaps be a natural thing.
What would happen if he let Kaeul be here? As if imitating the previous rounds, she would grasp enormous wealth and honour. She would also be loved more than she ever expected.
And that would be troubling.
In a certain previous round, Yu Jitae had asked a psychologist about Kaeul’s story, about why a person loved by the mass would break apart and die in despair.
‘…It’s because the expected value of love becomes higher.’
The explanation was that excessive amounts of love would become poison in some areas of life. Since everyone had their own tastes, there were bound to be disjoints and clashes and would inevitably give birth to some hostility. Kaeul’s pure personality also played a part.
Since she always received an excessive amount of love, when misaligned interest approached her as a curse, her young conscience resembling a child couldn’t withstand that sense of loss.
Depression and a sense of emptiness, or even a sense of loss driving it crazy. Due to all that, the Gold Dragon started bouncing around like a rugby ball. In some rounds, she was more so than the Red Dragon.
“I can’t allow that.”
To the Regressor, it was a future that must be avoided and for that reason, he shared his thoughts with Bom and Kaeul. He could see the blonde hair flinching in the middle of its feigned sleep, as it must have been greatly disappointed.
Even then, it couldn’t be helped.
“…”
However, it seemed like Bom hadn’t given up her will, as if she had expected it from the start. With a pleading gaze, she matched her line of sight with Yu Jitae’s.
“Is it really not possible?”
“No.”
“Without any room for discussion?”
“It is something I can’t handle.”
With twitching lips, Bom asked again.
“Is it impossible even if it is just one year of experience?”
She was trying to reach a compromise after hearing his determined answer. He decided to let go of his stubbornness and thought for a bit.
No, even then, one year was too long.
“No.”
“What about six months?”
He contemplated the amount of time and remembered how the Gold Dragon broke in the mere span of six months. Thus, six months wasn’t allowed either.
“How about one month? She will just do it for a bit and give up if it goes wrong. Isn’t that fine?”
Yet again, he shook his head. One month was too long, and was enough to invite misfortune. After being rejected over and over again, Bom bit her lower lips a little. Then she turned her head slightly to the side and murmured to herself.
“Stubborn.”
Yu Jitae didn’t give a reply.
“Okay. Then what about just once?”
“Once?”
“Just once. Help Kaeul stand in front of people just once.”
How would this turn out to be?
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Dragons did not forget. One experience could be imprinted into their brain as a good memory as they reminisce it forever. Although love and interest of humans causes addiction, just one experience should be fine right?
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“Can you be satisfied by experiencing it just once?”
Bom did not respond as it was a question toward Kaeul.
“I, I, I am sleeping.”
A fluttered voice escaped.
“I get it so just give me an answer. Can you be satisfied with just one experience?”
Golden eyes slowly showed itself as she raised her body.
“Mmm, hmm, uhh…”
Then, she spoke after a bit of hesitation.
“Umm, back then. There were lots of seats there right?”
“There were.”
“So it means that all those seats will be filled with people. Thinking of all those people watching me, like, makes me nervous.”
She hesitantly continued her words.
“And expectant.”
Her voice was so soft that it was crawling but Yu Jitae did not give a response. When the silence got longer, she glanced at his face and added more words.
“Ah, ah! But that doesn’t mean I can stand on the stage during the entrance ceremony right? I’m not asking for anything that big. Even if it’s a small place, if I could stand in front of people at least once, it would be awesome.”
“…”
“It, it’s okay! It’s fine even if I can’t.”
Silence befell the area yet again. Waiting for his reply, Kaeul faced Bom with an uneasy look but Bom returned a nod gesturing that it was okay. Soon, Yu Jitae finally opened his mouth.
“Right. I understand.”
Surprised, the baby chicken covered her mouth.
“…Really?”
“As long as it’s just once.”
Slowly but surely, a bright smile was drawn on her face. Screaming “Unni!”, Kaeul hugged Bom with excitement while Bom hugged her back and glanced at Yu Jitae. Her gaze seemingly reflected her gratitude.
That was when Yu Jitae’s phone started ringing.
– Hello. This is Mister Yu Jitae, the guardian, I’m talking to right?
It was a familiar voice, belonging to PR Team Leader Yong Dohee.
“Yes. Is there any matter?”
Team Leader Yong’s words continued. It seemed that the directing team would love to see Kaeul at least once and told them to come for an audition if they so desired. He had thought that it would be naturally impossible to get a spot, but there was apparently a sudden change in the situation.
If she heard it, the baby chicken would probably get so happy that she could faint.
The situation seemed to be flowing in a perfect order, even giving off a feeling that it was manmade. In that instant, he remembered the fact that the green race could read the future by relying on Providence..
In doubt, he raised his line of sight to face Bom and when he did, Bom turned her eyes away slightly and avoided eye contact.
Yu Jitae made an empty smile.
This kid…
*
“…”
Seeing Kaeul from the front, PD Ha Junsoo was silent for a long time.
“Is anything wrong?”
He remained silent even after Kaeul’s question. As if he was looking at a piece of art, he blankly looked at her face again and again. That was when he felt a sharp gaze from somewhere – it was the guardian’s.
Quickly realising his mistake, Ha Junsoo looked away and waved his hand.
“Ah, ah. My apologies. Cadet Yu Kaeul, was it?”
“Yes yes.”
“After around one week, there is a final selection for the declaration reading member position of the new cadets. It is like the final audition.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I’m sure you’re aware, but this ‘New Cadet Declaration’ is the highlight of entrance ceremonies and Cadet Yu Kaeul’s image was a perfect fit. You’ll be a bit short on time, but would you like to prepare for it?”
Reactions varied per person.
Kaeul made a bright smile while going, “Yes!”, while the directing staff members that knew the usual, selfish Ha Junsoo, shook their heads while whispering, “Aigo… PD is doing it again…”
The overall atmosphere of the staff excluding Ha Junsoo wasn’t positive.
What kind of thing was the New Cadet Declaration? It was an event that gathered the most number of viewers amongst all the events. Countless number of reporters focused on it and people would compare them to the readers of previous years and compare them to evaluate superhumans.
In other words, they would become the face of the cadets of that year.
When Kaeul left the room alongside her guardian, sighs escaped their mouths.
“Aigo. Mister PD is being stubborn again.”
“True. Even if she starts now, there’s no way she could even be compared to the ones that started preparing ages ago. They aren’t playing around either.”
“I know right. The public speech academies in Haytling are all booked out yeah?”
They were all expecting a negative result. That was when the youngest member of the directing staff carefully asked a question.
“Why? Wasn’t that cadet super pretty?”
“What? That’s not the important part. Being pretty or not is a secondary issue and they need charisma.”
“Charisma?”
“Because a person appearing in public for the first time has to grab the attention of cadets present in the entrance ceremony, as well as the viewers on the other side of the camera.”
“Ahh…”
Only then did the young member remember last year’s declarer and come to an understanding. With a tall height and a voice lower than the echoes of a cave, he grasped the audience with a tone overflowing with charisma.
He had quit Lair and was currently an active actor in Hollywood.
That was the level of impact required.
“I see…”
“And that child is too bright and young. She is cute but her image isn’t suited. Can a girl like that become the spokesperson of soldiers facing enormous threats and the despair of those that lost their loved ones?”
Is that how it is?
Yu Jitae, who had been standing on the corridor till now, slowly began carrying his feet. He came back in half-doubt and had received a fairly decent clue.
Dragons could assimilate themselves with others’ feelings and memories. Thus, he thought he could provide some help to Kaeul.
*
“Sorry? You will be helping the audition?”
“Yeah.”
“You, ahjussi?”
“…That’s how it will be.”
“Ah, in that case, there’s this word I don’t know. Explain this word please.”
Kaeul shoved the script at him.
Just like that, Yu Jitae sat together with Kaeul and focused on the script while Bom watched them from the side.
It was then.
Yu Jitae raised his eyes and looked forward and before long, Bom and Kaeul’s head turned at the same time, to the same place.
Their eyes were fixated on the blue egg.
Crack–
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Cracks started being formed on the egg.