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"Eruhaben-nim, do you know who I used to be?"
The question came out of the blue. Dragons were strong and intelligent, but they were not omniscient or omnipotent. Eruhaben didn’t know what Cale was asking about specifically—was it about his past as the trash of a count’s family? If so, he had heard rumours about it.
“I’m a dragon, but I’m not God. All I know are from my own observations and the rumours I’ve heard.”
Cale hummed in acknowledgement. For a moment, he just laid there disrespectfully on Eruhaben’s bed (after opening the door to his room without knocking, too). Frustrated, Eruhaben nudged Cale with his foot. Cale curled up like a squirming worm protecting itself after being poked, but didn’t sit up. His brilliant red hair was scattered messily across the bedsheet like a fan.
Eruhaben sighed. He had never been treated like this in his 1000 years of life. “Oi, punk. You’re getting more and more disrespectful now. I know I told you to treat me like a normal guard, but isn’t this too much?”
A small smile lifted the corners of Cale’s lips. His red eyes sparkled underneath the morning light, looking mischievous. He seemed to be well aware of the fact that Eruhaben had a soft spot for him and was taking advantage of it.
“Eruhaben-nim,” Cale called out softly. Only his manner of addressing Eruhaben was respectful.
“What do you want now, you unlucky bastard?” Eruhaben grumbled, crossing his arms.
The casual and affectionate way Eruhaben called him an unlucky bastard and stupid punk reminded Cale of his team member and team leader back when he was Kim Rok Soo. Back in those days, they had made Kim Rok Soo seaweed soup for his birthday even after the world went to shit. They had said that it was still important to celebrate having lived through a year, and to hope for surviving another year safely. They’d scrape together whatever little money they had to buy Cale his favourite chocolate bar.
It was on this day that he missed them the most.
After they died, no one remembered or celebrated his birthday for him.
"Can you say 'Happy birthday, Kim Rok Soo' just once?" Cale spoke the phrase in Korean.
Somehow, Cale seemed to be giving off an aura of sorrow. The rare expression on Cale's face made it difficult for Eruhaben to reject him. Even though Cale had always led them as a strong leader, he was actually just twenty. He was an adult in terms of human age, but he was still a baby when compared to a dragon's lifespan.
Eruhaben patted Cale’s red hair indulgently. It was a whim. Dragons were egotistical creatures who lived according to their whims without holding back.
He spoke the words with ease, “Happy birthday, Kim Rok Soo.”
Was it just a trick of the light or were Cale’s eyes glistening with unshed tears? Cale’s eyelashes fluttered under Eruhaben’s warm and gentle touch. "Can you also say, 'Rok Soo-ah, you did a great job?’”
Look at this punk, making more and more requests because Eruhaben gave in once. Eruhaben snorted in amusement and said, “Rok Soo-ah, you did a great job.”
Cale smiled, but somehow, it seemed very pained. Eruhaben sighed and sat down next to the lying down Cale so that he could pat his head better. With elegant fingers, he ran his hand through Cale’s hair soothingly.
Still, Eruhaben was curious. “Why do you know how to speak the ancient dragon catchers’ tongue? The language should be long lost by now.”
Cale flinched. “What did you just say?”
What? The ancient dragon catchers’ tongue…? Wasn’t it just Korean? Just how lazy was the author of The Birth of a Hero? Did that mean Eruhaben understood what he was asking for this whole time?
Eruhaben chuckled at Cale’s shocked and embarrassed expression. "You unlucky bastard. You must have some memories of your past life."
It made sense if Cale used to be a dragon catcher— it could be why both Eruhaben and Raon gravitated towards him. Cale was so much more mature and experienced in war compared to other human beings his age, even those much older than him. Eruhaben had only met one other person with memories of their past life before, but that was a long, long time ago. It was not natural for souls to hold onto previous memories. That person had remembered the traumatic memory of being burnt at the stake after being wrongfully accused.
Eyes softening, Eruhaben asked, "Was it very difficult?"
It wasn’t just difficult. Hell had descended on earth, and they had to fight monsters and hide in dilapidated buildings like bugs just to survive. Even then, the orphan Kim Rok Soo had at least gained comrades and brothers that he trusted. He had believed they would make it to the end and live together on a farm after everything was over. And yet...
"Yes. I lost everything." Cale’s voice shook on the last syllable he spoke. He started with nothing, met precious people, lost everything, fell into a novel he was reading, and gained many things again. Cale threw an arm across his eyes, shielding them from the glaring sunlight. Eruhaben saw the way Cale’s lips twisted, as though he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The ancient dragon reached out to the trembling hand and clasped it with his steady one. When he intertwined their fingers together and held on firmly, the tremors stopped.
“Then hold onto everything tightly this time round. It won’t be hard, since you have two dragons with you.”
Wordlessly, Cale squeezed the hand that held onto his.