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There’s not a single soul in the kingdom who hasn’t heard of the infamous dragon Yoo Joonghyuk.
An immortal being born centuries ago, he is well documented among several scrolls and drawings passed down from generation to generation. Anecdotes passed down from the mouths of ancestors about the time that Yoo Joonghyuk helped the kingdom fend off various monsters, or the time when Yoo Joonghyuk taught at the magic academy for the kingdom temporarily in exchange for a favor. It is true that for a period of time, Yoo Joonghyuk had held amicable relations with their kingdom, but sometime ago, it had fallen apart when the dragon had started showing signs of madness.
Those days of the wise old draconic sage are gone, and Yoo Joonghyuk is said to act on pure instinct now. He attacks first no matter the circumstance, indiscriminately burns villages at random whims, and goes on mass killing sprees from time-to-time for seemingly no reason. The Emperor has ordered that the beast be slain, but there is no foe in the kingdom that is able to stand up to the dragon’s overpowered ability. He’s able to resist magic well and swords aren’t even able to pierce through the dragon’s skin.
This has led to the Emperor resorting to desperate new ways of appeasing the beast from regularly killing the citizens of the kingdom—using sacrifices.
Sometimes, it’s a lone knight. A small squadron of knights if the Emperor needs to buy more time. Lately, the Emperor has been toying with the idea of sending wizards and mages—he’s always hated the authority that the magic sector has wielded over his head, and it’s two birds with one stone to pick off the magicians one-by-one, with an excuse at that.
Which is why Kim Dokja is currently standing at the mouth of Yoo Joonghyuk’s cavern.
There isn’t any reasoning behind why specifically Kim Dokja had to be sacrificed. A decently talented mage specializing in illusions. In terms of magic ability, he’s quite average, neither being the best nor the worst of the bunch. Seems like he just won the unluckiest lottery of the month. Or perhaps the Emperor purposely picked someone he knew that wouldn’t be missed dearly in the kingdom. In that case, ouch.
A fair number of troops stand in a line behind Kim Dokja, all of them staring intently at his back. Kim Dokja knows his ill-awaited fate lays just beyond the cavern’s entrance. He supposes that he makes a damn fine sacrifice considering the fact that he never accomplished anything truly meaningful in his life, even as an enchanter. He simply existed for several years after graduating, couped up in the room in one of the towers where he had resided, only coming out of his room whenever the Emperor called for it.
The mouth of the dragon’s cavern is intimidatingly tall, reaching several meters above Kim Dokja’s head, and Kim Dokja resists the strong urge to gulp at the implication of the true dragon’s size. He’s only heard stories about the dragon’s appearance, which makes sense considering how very few humans nowadays can survive in his presence and live on to describe the dragon’s appearance themselves. The wake of the dragon’s destruction often leaves no survivors.
“Go on, then,” the captain of the knight says. He gives Kim Dokja a look of pity, but ultimately, they both know that he can’t escape the Emperor’s orders. It’d be treason. Although, it’s not like Kim Dokja could possibly be granted a better fate by obeying the Emperor’s orders.
“For the kingdom,” Kim Dokja weakly cheers with a sarcastic wave of his fist. None of the knights in the area seem too amused at his poor attempt for a joke.
Kim Dokja, with admittedly shaky steps, enters the cave and disappears into the darkness, out of sight from the guards. He doesn’t come back out. The guards leave after several hours, although strangely, there are no audible signs of a fight happening from inside the cave. It must’ve been a quick death, they assumed.
(They, of course, assumed wrong.)
A couple weeks later, the Emperor sends the next sacrifice off to the dragon, this time a wizard specialized in ice magic. The knights escorting the wizard watch the young lady with glasses enter the cave with tear trails streaming down her face, and to their utter surprise, she comes right back out after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.
“The dragon,” the wizard says with disbelief in her voice. “It’s gone.”
The troubling news sends the kingdom into a spiral of madness.
Yoo Joonghyuk is warm.
If someone had told Kim Dokja months ago that he would eventually end up resorting to using a draconic mass-murderer companion as a source of heat, he surely would’ve scoffed and thought, no, never in a million years. Now, sleeping in a cheap hostel in the middle of winter with no fireplace available, Kim Dokja can only rely on Yoo Joonghyuk to prevent any cold shivers from violently wracking his body in the middle of night.
It works to Kim Dokja’s benefit to fall asleep with his arms wrapped around Yoo Joonghyuk. It helps potentiate the charm spell, even while unconscious. He doesn’t want to think about what would happen should Yoo Joonghyuk ever break the spell. Probably a bloodbath awaiting to happen.
He’s also amazed by how efficient the charm spell is against the dragon. Usually, it’s supposed to work only for wild beasts with medium intelligence and below, not even meant to work on humans.
Kim Dokja’s not sure how such a spell could work on a dragon of all species. Though, it is possible that the madness in the dragon’s mind may have eaten away at his intelligence over the centuries.
The dragon obediently listens to his every command. When Kim Dokja had first tested it, he ordered the dragon to eat a handful of dirt, and instantly regretted it when the creature had done so without a moment of hesitance. He doesn’t try any other degrading command after that, feeling somewhat confident that the dragon isn’t just pretending.
Kim Dokja had stayed with the dragon in his lair at first for only around three days before Kim Dokja had gotten bored and wanted to leave. Sure, the endless maze of tunnels was interesting to explore, and it was cool to see the collection of various trinkets that the dragon accumulated over the years, but it got tiring rather quickly.
The problem is that if he left the dragon alone, the dragon would surely break out of the charm spell and potentially come after him and kill him. Especially after having made him eat dirt.
Against Kim Dokja’s better judgement and with a lack of better options, he chose to take Yoo Joonghyuk with him. It was possible with the man being able to shapeshift into human form.
It turned out to be a far better option than originally thought, because Kim Dokja finds that travelling with a companion is actually… quite nice. Even if said companion is just an evil dragon kept in a trance under Kim Dokja’s control.
It usually only takes minimal effort to keep the dragon in check. If Yoo Joonghyuk shows any signs of breaking out of the spell, all Kim Dokja has to do is gently press his fingertips against the man’s temple and let the magic flow from him core to the dragon, a tickling sensation supposedly. Kim Dokja’s illusions are soft-spoken, tender, and full of subtle yearning—happy little whimsical thoughts to preoccupy the dragon’s mind, most of them coming from his imagination. If using his fingertips doesn’t work, then Kim Dokja has to blushingly resort to kissing the man’s forehead.
Yet, somehow, after the first time he’s had to resort to such a measure, the dragon has become seemingly less satisfied with the fingertips method, forcing Kim Dokja to use his lips more often than he feels comfortable with, and Kim Dokja wonders if it’s because the dragon strongly protests being kissed in the back of his mind and that’s why he struggles more to break out of his control every time Kim Dokja does it. What an ironic paradox if that were the case.
Kim Dokja doesn’t advertise his companion’s true identity to strangers, and one can’t tell Yoo Joonghyuk is a dragon from first sight, but some are talented enough in the arts to recognize Yoo Joonghyuk’s identity beyond the façade. Such as a former classmate from the magic academy, Han Sooyoung, who he just happens to meet in one of the villages they’re passing through.
She tells Kim Dokja to dispose of Yoo Joonghyuk because keeping the dragon in a trance isn’t a good long-term solution. She doesn’t push him to do it, it’s merely a strong suggestion, more for his and the kingdom’s benefit. They part ways on neutral terms, Han Sooyoung’s words echoing in his head.
He ponders on her proposal more than a normal person would; that is, a normal person wouldn’t hesitate for a chance to take down the immortal dragon once and for all. Kim Dokja’s not even sure how to go about it honestly, it’s probably possible with a few sorcerers trained in the dark arts. He’d have to ask his own magic tower to help in that regard.
One interesting tidbit that Kim Dokja notices, however, is that Yoo Joonghyuk does indeed bleed. There is an incident where a mugger, late at night and in an empty alleyway, attempted to rob Kim Dokja with a dagger, and Yoo Joonghyuk’s body acted on its own without Kim Dokja’s command, forcing himself between the blade and Kim Dokja. The blade had actually pierced through the dragon’s skin, and Kim Dokja realizes that the dragon is actually quite vulnerable in human form, unlike his true form. Perhaps that’s the secret to killing an immortal being that’s lived for plenty of centuries.
It’s selfish to keep the dragon in human form, but it’d be hard to travel so freely otherwise. People tend not to react well to the mere mention of Yoo Joonghyuk’s name.
Yoo Joonghyuk trails closely behind Kim Dokja as they step up to the front desk of the hostel, Kim Dokja handing over the few silver coins from his travel pouch to pay the price of a night’s stay. The keeper of the hostel with her hair done in a bun flashes a bright smile at them, completely naïve of the fact that a serial-murderer is in the same room as her. Or maybe Kim Dokja is just very hyper self-aware of that fact 24/7.
They make small talk about Kim Dokja’s travels and his next destination.
“I’ve always wanted to journey around the kingdom, jumping from village to village and sightseeing the scenery,” the stout woman forlornly sighs, her eyes glazed over as if she’s imagining herself in Kim Dokja’s shoes. “Once upon a time, perhaps. It would’ve been so romantic as our honeymoon.”
Kim Dokja chokes. “Oh, we’re not—I mean. We’re just companions.”
The hostel keeper laughs. “Oh, yes, yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything slanderous by that statement. Although, I had assumed some things from the look of how close the two of you are. Completely inseparable, my husband also noticed. You two seem different from the usual sort of men we host here.”
Completely inseparable by force.
Kim Dokja has to keep Yoo Joonghyuk captive under a tight leash because there’d be chaotic ramifications otherwise, and Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t really have a say in the matter for obvious reasons. It’s far from a romantic situation, and in the end, they’re not truly companions if Kim Dokja is the only one of free will.
“I’m not surprised,” Kim Dokja sighs, refusing to elaborate further. Yoo Joonghyuk, as expected, remains lax by his side.
When they open the doors to the streets, confetti rains from the sky and previously muffled music becomes louder and clearer, the sound of lively drums drowning out most of all other noise.
“A festival,” Kim Dokja says with light-hearted eyes. He’d seen people setting up stalls yesterday but assumed that he’d be able to depart before the festivities would start.
He went out of his way to avoid parties and celebrations back in his academy days because he much preferred to spend time in only his own company, being someone of more introverted nature, but there’s something contagious about the festive atmosphere of people lining up to crowd the stalls for a taste of exotic foods, others playing the simple games that are being offered and some enjoying the sound of musicians or the performances put on by nomadic entertainers.
Kim Dokja takes Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand and slots his fingers through the dragon’s fingers, a hand marred with rough callouses and old scars—a hand that has slaughtered many humans before Kim Dokja had even been born. He clasps Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand with his own and pulls the man into the merry road, into the crowd of people bustling through the avenue.
“I wonder if you’ve ever attended a human festival with all those centuries under your belt,” Kim Dokja says with a shy yet knowing smile. “I suppose you must’ve, though, it’s hard to imagine a high-level being such as yourself stooping to our level. So, perhaps you haven’t. At the very least, this would be the first festival I’ve ever attended in person. Usually, I just watch from afar.”
The grip on Kim Dokja’s hand tightens ever-so-slightly. As if the dragon’s conscious is still buried somewhere underneath the fog of the spell.
Kim Dokja’s not sure what that means. He pats the man lightly on the head, though his gaze is resolute. “Yoo Joonghyuk, I order that you have fun today.”
They sample many of the exotic choices of food offered by vendors, Kim Dokja handfeeding a majority of the portions manually to Yoo Joonghyuk. It’s embarrassing, but Kim Dokja is used to it, though his face isn’t spared from the shade of red that takes over.
They walk around and talk to other travellers who happened upon the festival, mostly from being at the right place and right time, and are enjoying the vibrant celebration as well. A happy little accident for all of them.
Kim Dokja pulls Yoo Joonghyuk into a spontaneous dance near one of the street corners and they join the circle of other pairs of friends, lovers, companions who are also whirling around jovially to the beat of the music.
Kim Dokja points and laughs at the puppet show telling the story of an immortal dragon who had been terrorizing a kingdom and the valiant tale of the Emperor who appeared at the cave and slayed the beast all on his own. He nearly falls over in tears at the blatant lie. What blatant propaganda, and not very convincing from the unimpressed eyes of the onlookers. He leans over Yoo joonghyuk for support to keep himself from losing balance over his nonstop laughter.
They take off in the late afternoon, continuing the usual routine of escaping the village into the surrounding wilderness and having Yoo Joonghyuk shift into his dragon form to transport the both of them to the next village. His obsidian scales glimmer in the sunlight, the texture smooth under Kim Dokja’s fingers.
“I would’ve never imagined that the outside world would be like this,” Kim Dokja says after they take off into the sky. They’re going at a leisurely slow rate, so that the wind isn’t bothering him like their first attempt at Kim Dokja riding on Yoo Joonghyuk’s back. That had ended in near disaster. “Have you grown tired of seeing the same sights over and over again?”
Yoo Joonghyuk, of course, doesn’t respond, almost as if Kim Dokja had asked a rhetorical question. Kim Dokja imagines what the real Yoo Joonghyuk would answer—something wise, most likely, just based on the dragon’s former reputation as an old sage. Or maybe something mocking, as if to make fun of Kim Dokja for asking the obvious. He almost wishes the dragon could speak under the influence of the spell, and he technically could though it’d be a mere echo of whatever Kim Dokja says. It’s not fun at all to speak to a mirror.
“It’s too bad we can’t live like this forever.”
Sooner or later, they’ll be dragged back down to reality. Anything could happen, really. One day, the spell might stop working on Yoo Joonghyuk, and the dragon will go on a rampage and ravage the kingdom until there’s nothing but ashes. Or, perhaps, Kim Dokja will be forced to kill Yoo Joonghyuk with his own hands, or even be forced by someone else to do the dirty deed.
An irrational part of Kim Dokja doesn’t want to kill him. Yoo Joonghyuk is Kim Dokja’s only companion. Perhaps Kim Dokja is Yoo Joonghyuk’s only companion as well. Kim Dokja wouldn’t know. He doesn’t a thing about Yoo Joonghyuk outside of secondary sources, which aren’t to be trusted in the first place.
He wonders if beneath all the pretty little lies fed to Yoo Joonghyuk through the spell, if Yoo Joonghyuk is happy. He hopes so.
Kim Dokja bows before the Emperor.
He doesn’t know who it was that ratted them out. Probably one of the many people they may have met on their journey. They’d been suddenly cornered by the emperor’s troops out of nowhere without warning, and unless Kim Dokja wanted bloodshed, he had to yield to their demands. Perhaps foolishly.
“Your majesty,” Kim Dokja timidly says. The magic-neutralizing handcuffs around his wrists and ankles block off any possible spell he could use to escape in the moment.
“You’re alive.”
The man’s voice sends chills down his spine. It’s a voice that carries an ounce of disbelief, yet mostly neutral as if stating an obvious fact. Kim Dokja is alive, contrary to what the Emperor had been expecting, and there’s a fear to be had when the unexpected happens. In a game of chess, when the king sacrifices a pawn to the enemy, the king does not expect the pawn to survive, nor does the king expect the pawn to tempt a very valuable enemy piece to do his bidding either.
It’s not like Kim Dokja holds any grudges against the Emperor, but again. It’s the fear that coerces people to avoid any potential bad endings.
“Yes, your majesty.”
The enchanter feels naked without Yoo Joonghyuk by his side. It’s only been a few months, but for some reason, it feels wrong to stand alone without the man’s reassuring presence behind him. “My magic worked on the dragon.”
“And instead of immediately reporting back to me, you chose to take a leisurely respite around my territory with the unseemly beast.”
Kim Dokja was supposed to die anyways. It’s literal suicide to go back willingly to the Emperor who sees him as nothing but a mere sacrificial pawn. For several weeks, he wasn’t even sure if the dragon would be the one to kill him first before the Emperor did, and…
…part of Kim Dokja knew what would happen if he willingly fell into the Emperor’s hands like this.
“It seems the magic faction has been left unchecked for too long. Even a mere unremarkable enchanter dares to defy the ruler’s wishes so boldly. Take the traitor to the dungeon. As for the dragon, we’ll make good use of him to repay for his crimes.”
“Your majesty, I was only trying to—” A guard strikes him in the face, and he collapses over on the floor of the throne room.
Kim Dokja loses track of time in his prison cell, his frame becoming increasingly thinner and the state of his body rapidly deteriorating. The only reason why the Emperor hasn’t executed him yet is because they need his blood in particular.
Kim Dokja doesn’t understand it. There are other enchanters in the kingdom, yet, for some reason they require his blood to keep the dragon under the control of the spell.
They need his enchanting magic specifically. Perhaps the other enchanters are doing it wrong. Perhaps they are trying to give Yoo Joonghyuk illusions of fear, of sadness, of anger, but none of them can even compare to the small comforts that his illusions bring to Yoo Joonghyuk. His own brand of wonder, which nobody else has ever batted an eye to, has somehow completely seduced a powerful immortal dragon.
Kim Dokja laughs weakly at the ludicrous thought.
He wants to see Yoo Joonghyuk again.
He wants to cast the charming spell himself again, share his visions of tender love to the dragon. Watch the dragon melt in his arms at the fantasies—the little, tiny stories and joyful anecdotes told through his magic. As twisted as it seems, Kim Dokja liked to cast his charming illusions because it made him feel as though he was sharing what little happiness of his life with someone else, even if it was against the dragon’s own will.
His heart burns for Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Your majesty, we can’t extract any more blood from him in the meantime. He’ll die if we continue at this rate.”
Someone speaking in the distance.
“…Directly… Him to the…”
The voices are going in and out. The ringing in his ears almost drowns them out at times.
Kim Dokja feels lightheaded. Woozy. Weak. His vision is blurry, trying to desperately focus on the world around him but failing.
“…Sorry.”
The words are uttered to him before his mind faintly registers the feeling of two pairs of strong arms grabbing him by the arms, lifting him off the ground and dragging him across many halls before stopping to a particular room. The guards drop him onto the ground, neither harshly nor gently, and Kim Dokja is left laying crumpled on the hard stone floor. He forces himself to sit upright, his vision finally clearing up to the most horrendous sight.
Kim Dokja gasps at Yoo Joonghyuk's condition.
Black and blue bruises covered the man's bare chest and face. There are several scars and burn marks thrown into the mix as well. It leaves Kim Dokja’s stomach twisted in knots, already forgetting about the dull ever-present ache in his joints and his own haggard condition.
He knows Yoo Joonghyuk isn’t a good person. He knows Yoo Joonghyuk's killing sprees has caused so much misery and suffering for many of the citizens of the kingdom.
Still, to see his months-long companion being agonizingly tortured like this... because of him. Because of his magic... it makes Kim Dokja's heart break into tiny pieces. It hadn’t even come to his mind that they would take advantage of the charm spell to take their cruelty out on him. All that built-up resentment over the years.
Guilt washes over him like a tide, the never-ending waves crashing into him.
He did this.
It's his fault.
"Yoo Joonghyuk..." Kim Dokja whispers, drawing closer to the unconscious man.
Unexpectedly, hot tears swell in the corners of Kim Dokja’s eyes. Kim Dokja doesn’t remember the last time he’s cried in his lifetime. It must’ve been a while.
It’s selfish to be the one to cry when he’s not the one suffering in the most pain.
Those bastards really did a number on him.
The enchanter pulls the man's body into a hesitant hug. He uses a hesitant hand to brush his fingers along the man's back, in a soothing rhythm. Small crystalline tears fall down his cheeks and onto the man's bare shoulder, and Kim Dokja can’t help but muse about how foolish they must’ve looked in the eyes of those who knew.
Carefreely traveling with a disguised dragon around the territory, laughing and dancing at every moment they could get, feeding Yoo Joonghyuk apple slices one-by-one and crying out in pain when the man’s sharp teeth come into contact with his skin, resulting to a humiliated Kim Dokja wrapping his bleeding finger with bandages due to his own carelessness. Then, Kim Dokja would laugh at the own absurdity of the situation.
It was all a brief illusion.
But Kim Dokja understands why Yoo Joonghyuk would rather value those happy fleeting illusions more than anything else. For once in their lives, they can pretend like everything is fine, and the world isn’t hopeless, and they could pretend to be simply exist in happiness in each other’s company.
“Kill me, Yoo Joonghyuk. For both our sakes.”
Kim Dokja lowers Yoo Joonghyuk’s head so he can press a light kiss—his last kiss—to his companion’s forehead. “This is my last order from me to you. It must be done. We both know how this story ends.”
He feels Yoo Joonghyuk’s body freeze against him. A certain dread shifts in Kim Dokja’s heart, but he remains resolute to the obvious solution.
He wants to free Yoo Joonghyuk. For once and for good.
“…”
Kim Dokja closes his eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain of death. He hopes Yoo Joonghyuk will make it a quick one. He waits, and waits, but nothing happens. Cautiously, he uses one eye to peer at the enchanted dragon—
Only to meet the intense glare of a fully conscious man. One who is clearly not under the spell.
“Show me.”
The voice breaks Kim Dokja out of his shocked trance into jerking sharply in an attempt free himself of the dragon’s embrace, but the dragon’s grip doesn’t on his body doesn’t loosen. Instead he holds onto the enchanter even tighter.
“The spell…” Kim Dokja says, his mouth feeling numb. Not all of the shock has worn off yet. His heartbeat elevates in the presence of the actual Yoo Joonghyuk. “It’s broken?”
“Kim Dokja.”
Kim Dokja is forced back against a wall, two strong hands pressing his arms against the cold stone. From his position, he’s forced to stare into the dragon’s golden eyes, a piercing gaze that describes only a sliver of the tragic life that Yoo Joonghyuk must’ve lived up until that point. The tumultuous pain, the never-ending sorrow, the trauma built over many decades, and even a slight hint of the crazed madness that the dragon was notorious for.
Those golden eyes burn a hole into Kim Dokja’s gray ones. For some reason, Kim Dokja doesn’t feel afraid.
Maybe it’s foolish to keep believing that their companionship meant something. That hope is all he has left.
“You’ve made me eat dirt once. You should be able to follow one of my own commands for once.”
Kim Dokja weakly nods, agreeing. “I’m sorry for that, I’m really—that was—if this is payback for—”
Kim Dokja is cut off by Yoo Joonghyuk pinning his body even more against the wall, until there’s no distance between them at all. He squeaks at the pressure on his chest, his heart thumping loudly and heavily in his ears. His cheeks fluster slightly red at the close proximity.
“Quiet.” Yoo Joonghyuk takes Kim Dokja’s hand and forces it to cradle the dragon’s cheek. “Now, show me.”
“Show you? Show you what?”
“Anything. Show me what you want the future to be.”
“You should be taking the chanc—You should leave now, while the spell is broken and—”
“Kim Dokja. Now.”
Kim Dokja sighs and with his eyes fluttering closed, both hands coming up to Yoo Joonghyuk’s temples, he lets the magic flow weakly through his fingertips.
It's not nearly as powerful as before. Whereas his illusion magic in the past was like a sun blinding all of Yoo Joonghyuk’s thoughts in his head, his power has now been reduced to mere flicker of a candle, dying slowly but surely.
Yet Yoo Joonghyuk leans into the touch like it's the one and only thing he needs to survive, as if the flickers of the dying candle are just as worth savoring than the soothing light from before.
Kim Dokja feeds him illusions of himself riding Yoo Joonghyuk's back in the sky, Kim Dokja reading a book while occasionally gasping and laughing at the text. He imagines themselves curled up against the warm fireplace on an icy winter night, and Kim Dokja unable to help himself to Yoo Joonghyuk's warmth even with actual fire right there. There's even a small fantasy that Kim Dokja slips in of Yoo Joonghyuk finally smiling for once, without the influence of the charm spell, and how radiant it must look to finally—
Kim Dokja gasps when a pair of lips presses against his own. The illusion magic breaks momentarily at his own shock.
“I didn’t tell you to stop,” Yoo Joonghyuk mutters against his lips. Kim Dokja nods slightly, trying to regain his focus.
Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk holding hands while browsing the various shops in the capital. Kim Dokja petting the man's hair while Yoo Joonghyuk's head rests in his lap, a book in his other hand on a cool summer day underneath the tree's shade. Lively music playing at night and them goofily entangled in a couple’s dance around the fountain, clumsy steps and Yoo Joonghyuk swinging him around exaggeratedly, Kim Dokja shrieking every time he thinks he’s about to fall, and Yoo Joonghyuk teasing him all the while.
Yoo Joonghyuk is the one who pulls back first. "Kim Dokja. Are the visions you've shown me truly what you want?"
Kim Dokja's cheeks fluster slightly red. He's shy, all of a sudden. "Maybe—maybe they’re a bit exaggerated."
"I'll make them into a reality. If you let me."
Kim Dokja laughs breathlessly, completely at a loss for words. "I'm... I don't know if I'm the type of person you'd want to spend a lifetime with."
"What do you want."
"Your happiness."
Yoo Joonghyuk's face draws closer, this time for a peck on his cheek. "Then, it seems we wish for the same thing, then. I've never wished for happiness once in my life until you came along."
Some called it karma, others called it justified retribution. Of course, a lot of people had seen it coming and criticized the lunacy of the Emperor who had suddenly gained power within the matter of a few weeks because he suddenly had control of a dragon to do his bidding.
Within those months where he had the possession of a dragon’s power, he waged war against other nations, using the dragon to burn down kingdoms and gain territories for himself. It was said that the king’s closest aides had been wary of this decision, because the dragon could turn on them any day now, and who knew what catastrophe would occur if that were to ever happen.
The day came.
The castle up in flames, the former Emperor reduced to nothing but a mere blood splatter painting the walls of the throne room crimson. The mages came and quickly extinguished the fire, and it was said that the master of the mage tower would step in and decide the future fate of the kingdom.
Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk once again resume their travels, hand in hand. They both don't know what the uncertain future holds, but they both want the same thing, and for now, that's enough.
Kim Dokja learns more about Yoo Joonghyuk.
He learns that Yoo Joonghyuk is a great chef, and given any ingredient and the right spices, he can transform even the most unappetizing of meat into a delicious meal.
He learns that Yoo Joonghyuk is clingy in his sleep, and that he's perfectly capable of being jealous of a thick blanket as evidence of the shredded remains in the morning.
He learns that Yoo Joonghyuk likes it especially when Kim Dokja presses soft kisses over the callouses of the dragon’s hand, especially against the knuckles, and it proves to be a surefire way for when Kim Dokja wants to de-escalate any situation immediately. It’s one of the dragon’s few weaknesses, and he always melts under the gentle touch of his lips.
Kim Dokja laughs when Yoo Joonghyuk lies that they're newlyweds on a honeymoon travelling around the kingdom, and the journey to find happiness never ends.