023. Nice to Meet You
The Dragon King spoke to me.
Then she suddenly approached and firmly grabbed both my hands.
For some reason, she looked excited.
“What a joyous day! The Small Dragon King has arrived at the Dragon Palace!”
[[A joyous day!]]
“Play the music even louder!!”
[[Play it loud! A wonderful day! A wonderful day!]]
With another huge cheer, the atmosphere around us completely transformed into a nightclub.
Unable to follow what was happening, I simply stared blankly at the Dragon King.
“Why? Did you think only boring old music played in the Dragon Palace?!”
The Dragon King approached while dancing her shoulders.
Maybe because the music was so loud, I could barely hear her even though she shouted.
I leaned my ear closer.
“What?! N, no! It’s not that... I’m just a little surprised!”
“By what?! The music selection?!”
“What?!”
“Dubstep and big room are outdated! I like house! Ghetto house and Miami bass are more my style! What about you?! Ah, are you perhaps a hardcore fan who likes hard bass?! Hahaha! You have such a calm face too! Then I suppose this music might feel a little weak! Hey! DJ!”
The Dragon King shouted toward one corner of the stage beneath a spotlight.
[Yeah!]
A sea turtle wearing a stylish durumagi and giant headphones answered from behind a huge turntable.
When did he get there?
“Give us some hard bass with enough metal flavor to shake the soul!”
[Yeah!!]
Under the Dragon King’s command, the sea turtle DJ smoothly changed genres.
Heavy bass, the kind often used in Eastern European short-form videos, struck my ears.
It shook not only my heart but my bones and joints.
“Agh! H, house! I like house!”
“You do?!”
The genre changed smoothly again.
While admiring the sea turtle DJ’s fluid mixing, I looked around.
The residents of the Dragon Palace seemed completely used to this atmosphere.
They drank alcohol and other beverages while somehow holding conversations in the deafening music.
“Are you alone?!”
The Dragon King suddenly leaned close to me.
“What?! Yes! I’m still single!”
“What are you talking about?! I asked whether Daldal and Orlan came with you!”
“What?! Ah! Ah! R, right! Yes! I somehow came alone!”
The Dragon King laughed and nodded.
I could clearly feel my face turning bright red.
Damn it.
Embarrassing!
“Really? Too bad! I don’t know about Orlan, but Daldal loves this kind of atmosphere!”
“R, really?!”
“Of course! Even before becoming a Spirit Beast, that child was extremely interested in human life! Daldal loves excitement! Always has! Loves humans too! Of course, because of that, Daldal became a Spirit Beast before living out the natural lifespan...”
“What?!”
“Ah. Spoiler! Never mind!”
That sounded far too serious to simply ignore.
The Dragon King quickly shoved a large amount of food into my mouth before I could ask.
What was this?
Some kind of crispy biscuit with salty pieces of meat on top.
This was delicious.
“There are many other kinds as well. Please enjoy them slowly.”
A seal wearing silk clothing appeared from nowhere, carrying a silver tray.
On the tray were several salty snacks similar to what I had just eaten.
I had never seen any of them before.
Still, I gathered my courage and tried several more.
“Mm!”
A refreshing scent of the ocean pleasantly rolled across my mouth.
As I continued eating the food arranged around the area, I slowly adjusted to the atmosphere.
I awkwardly moved my body to the cheerful music.
I enjoyed delicious alcohol and snacks.
Time flowed gently and slowly.
I had so much fun that I forgot about the world outside the Dragon Palace.
I still had no idea what was happening, though.
“Huh?!”
I suddenly came to my senses.
When I looked around, I was sitting somewhere slightly away from the lively party.
On a sunbed.
How did I get here?
“What do you mean how? You simply wandered here naturally.”
The Dragon King sat beside me and spoke as if she had read my thoughts.
Rustle.
The Dragon King’s long, vibrant blue hair gently moved in the breeze.
Breeze?
No.
This was the Dragon Palace.
We were underwater.
It was a strange experience.
I was definitely underwater.
Yet I did not feel like I was.
If anything, it felt like I was at a lively but peaceful resort like the Maldives or Bali.
Not that I had ever been to either.
“Thank you for repairing the shrine on Sol Island. Today’s feast is your reward.”
The Dragon King leisurely watched small fish swimming nearby.
“It was nothing. I’d never repaired a traditional wooden building before, so I’m not even sure I did it properly. And, um... I’m also sorry because I think I ruined your portrait.”
I had turned the dignified face of the Dragon King into something closer to a webtoon character.
I would have no excuse if someone arrested me for damaging cultural heritage.
“Hahahaha!”
The Dragon King stared at my face for a moment.
Then she laughed loudly and slapped my back several times.
“It’s fine! I actually liked the modern style more. Do I look like someone trapped in old traditions?”
“Ah. No. Not at all.”
The EDM blasting through the Dragon Palace was enough evidence.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean it was well painted.”
“Hahaha...”
“Still, I appreciate the sincerity. Evil fog will no longer cover Sol Island and its surrounding sea. So everything turned out well, did it not?”
The Dragon King picked up a cocktail glass beside the sunbed and handed it to me.
Something that resembled an olive, but was slightly different, floated inside the transparent liquid.
A martini?
“To commemorate the day the current-generation Small Dragon King was first invited to the Dragon Palace.”
The Dragon King raised an identical glass toward me.
I lightly tapped my glass against hers.
Clink.
A pleasant sound passed between us.
I carefully took a sip.
“Oh.”
Something clean and refreshing, almost like a highball, lightly passed down my throat.
The cool flavor filled my mouth and cleared the fog inside my head.
It felt like warm sunlight had appeared.
“Good, right?”
The Dragon King smiled at me.
I smiled back and nodded.
“Bartender! Suho says it’s delicious!”
The Dragon King shouted loudly.
A pufferfish bartender making cocktails at a bar not far away looked over.
