'This is the last time I’ll hold this microphone.'
The cold microphone felt warm in his hand. Even though his role was only to provide a voice, it felt as if he were really a blue dragon, acting on stage. Seo Jun looked around the place where he was standing.
'Really, the last time.'
He felt tears welling up in his eyes.
He could meet his older brother and sister again, and it wasn’t a permanent farewell, yet he didn’t understand why he was crying. He hadn’t cried when filming movies.
Beep—
The sound signaling the start of the performance was heard.
Now, it’s the last performance.
'Because it’s the last, I’ll try even harder!'
Seo Jun’s eyes sparkled.
[(Light) Blue Dragon Hatchling’s weak aura activated.]
Seo Jun used his ability. His eyes turned the color of the sea, and his hair began to turn blue from the tips. Two horns grew from his head, and dragon scales sprouted on his cheeks.
A bit more.
Seo Jun, who had tightly closed his eyes, began to breathe.
[(Light) Elf’s basic breathing activated.]
A bit more.
The five fingers of both hands holding the microphone, which had been white, turned blue as he transformed into a dragon. The white qi that had been inside him turned blue.
Realizing this, Seo Jun quickly understood how to use it. He opened his eyes and looked in one direction.
Following the path of his sea-colored eyes, the blue qi that had been circulating inside Seo Jun’s body moved along the wall and toward the blue dragon model hidden behind the screen.
The blue qi, which undulated like waves, enveloped the blue dragon model. Like a skin, the blue dragon’s form gave life to the mechanical movements of the blue dragon model.
The large eyes gently closed, and the whiskers, which had been moving regularly, gently rippled. The stiff mane looked as if it was gently swaying in the wind. The blue scales, which had been covered in artificial colors, turned into a vibrant sea color.
And,
Seo Jun became the blue dragon.
[Roar.]
The low, beast-like cry of the blue dragon announced the start of the performance.
The audience, who had been curious and had come to see the reviews, trembled at the sound.
It was a sound that made the hair on their bodies stand on end. The story on stage felt more real than ever, closer than ever.
Everyone was so engrossed in the play that no one spoke a word.
There were no coughs, no creaks from chairs moving, no children chattering, no noise at all in the theater. Everyone was tense, staring at the stage.
The children on stage, thinking it was their last performance, moved more energetically than ever.
They delivered their lines, moved their bodies, cried, and laughed. Their heart-wrenching acting made hearts pound.
Then, the blue dragon appeared, breaking through the screen. Not only the audience seeing the play for the first time, but also those who had seen it multiple times and the staff who had installed the blue dragon, were amazed by the lifelike appearance of the blue dragon.
The long whiskers, which had moved mechanically, and the stiff mane and eyelids, all disappeared.
The stiff scales of the blue dragon shimmered in the light. The blue paint turned into the mysterious color of the deep sea.
It seemed as if the blue dragon was breathing, with a faint breeze coming from its nostrils.
The blue eyes of the dragon, which had been like a painting, were now full of mysterious life, and the sharp claws, which had been awkwardly attached, were now sharp enough to pierce anything. The blue mane of the dragon swayed in the wind.
It was really,
as if a living dragon was right in front of them.
The large blue dragon had its head in the theater, looking down at them.
It seemed as if the large body of the blue dragon would be floating in the sky outside the Galaxy Center.
[You have found the pearl. Thank you.]
The blue dragon’s mouth opened slightly, revealing sharp teeth. Suddenly, the stage director remembered something. ……But the mouth shouldn’t open……? The whiskers and mane moved with the mouth, swaying in the wind.
The heavy voice penetrated the hearts of the audience.
Seo Jun, who had become a dragon, recalled the life of the hatchling he had discovered in the Library of Life.
He remembered his grandfather, who had lived with the young hatchling. The large body with a kind face. The blue dragon, the guardian of the human kingdom.
The hatchling was affectionate, but the grandfather never forgot the distance between humans. He was generous but maintained a coldness toward humans to prevent kindness from becoming a right. The hatchling wanted to be a dragon like that.
In the first performance, he followed his grandfather. But as he went through more performances, Seo Jun, the hatchling, grew.
This current form was not a copy of his grandfather or anyone else, but his own. Although he died young and did not become the guardian of the human kingdom,
[As a reward, I will grant you a wish.]
The lifelike words of the blue dragon made some of the children and audience members naturally clasp their hands. Seo Jun saw the earnest expressions of the people in the audience.
Although it was a lie, for this moment, he thought he had become the guardian dragon the hatchling had dreamed of.
The play ended. The heavy curtain fell, covering the stage.
The audience area brightened, but the shock of the lifelike blue dragon left a heavy silence.
Soon, the curtain rose, and the children appeared on stage to bow. Despite being drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, they smiled brightly.
Clap, clap!
Clap, clap, clap!
Wow!
People jumped up from their seats, clapping and cheering. Whether children or adults, it was a more enthusiastic response than ever.
"Amazing!"
"The best!"
"Ita Jin!!"
When someone called out a name, Ita Jin, dressed as a hunter, stepped forward, bowed, and raised his hands to wave.
It seemed that the audience, who had memorized all the actors from the pamphlet and had seen the play multiple times, were pleased with this spontaneous action. They called out each name one by one.
When a child was called, Ita Jin pushed them forward with a smile.
The children, though shy, smiled brightly and waved.
Finally, one person was left. An actor who never appeared on stage but captivated the hearts of children and adults with his voice alone.
Today, he had a more sacred and heavy voice than ever.
The audience’s eyes turned to one child. Among the children in hanbok, there was a child in a T-shirt and pants.
Kim Suhan, who had come to see the play with his friends, shouted.
"It’s Jin!"
Seo Jun, wearing a cap, took a step forward at the name.
From all around, the children’s voices calling out "Blue Dragon! Blue Dragon!" could be heard. Seo Jun scanned the audience and bowed deeply. Then he raised his hands to wave.
"Let’s see your face in the next production!!"
At this, the audience burst into laughter. The actors also laughed and stood in a line, holding hands with their friends.
Seo Jun also firmly held the hands of his older brother and sister. The actors’ excitement could be felt through the hands they held.
One, two.
"Thank you!"
The last performance was over.
* * *
"Good job!"
"It’s over!"
The play was completely over. There would be no more rehearsals or performances. The children, who had hugged each other and cried behind the stage, raised their glasses of drinks with puffy eyes.
In the middle of the practice room, pizzas, chicken, and pig’s feet were prepared.
The children, who had been tense and had cried, quickly started to fill their stomachs. Seo Jun, with red eyes, also picked up a slice of pizza and bit into it.
Munch, munch. Chewing the pizza, Seo Jun thought.
Until now, his life with abilities had nothing to do with the history of the characters he had researched. He had just used appropriate abilities to fit the situation.
But this time was different. The similarity of being a dragon, the idea of protecting humans, and the life the hatchling had dreamed of. Many aspects of the play’s situation were similar to his life with abilities.
Was that why? The hatchling, who had not grown due to a short life, felt as if it was growing through his acting.
In the end, the hatchling revealed its own dignity, not that of its grandfather.
'Did the hatchling become the guardian dragon it dreamed of?'
The ability symbol, a baby dragon pattern on his neck, flashed as if satisfied. Lowering his head to take a quick look, the symbol was not visible, but the blue light it emitted was so intense it hurt his eyes.
He hadn’t intended to, but it felt as if he had fulfilled the wish of one of his many past lives.
'I should go to the library when I return.'
Seo Jun, munching on the last piece of pizza, thought.
"But the blue dragon, didn’t it really seem alive just now?"
"Exactly. I saw it from behind the stage, and I’m sure So-young was completely shocked."
Choi So-young, who had finished her share of pizza and was holding a chicken leg, nodded repeatedly.
"The blue dragon really seemed to be breathing, its body swelling and deflating. I thought I was seeing things because the movements were so small, but everyone felt the same way, so it must have been real."
"The stage director was so stunned that he went to check. He said, ‘This… there’s no such mechanism! ’ and ran over."
Imitating the stage director, Ita Jin made the children laugh.
Looking around, it seemed that the guardians and staff, except for Andaho, were not visible. They probably couldn’t leave the stage.
"Did they really come to see it?"
"Maybe. There are many things in the world that are hard to believe."
At the words of a child interested in UFOs, everyone nodded. They then shared their own mysterious experiences.
A child who saw a white figure at night, a child who saw a strange animal on the street, a child who heard a strange sound at school. Most were ghost stories, but everyone listened with interest.
The stage director, who was checking the blue dragon model, shook his head. The guardians and staff, seeing the cold and stiff model, were puzzled.
This wasn’t the feeling they had. Unable to believe it, they hesitated to touch the blue dragon model that had come down from the stage.
Park Ji-soo, the director, who had gone to check the recording, spoke.
"The recording shows the usual movements."
"…So, did we really see things?"
At someone’s question, Park Ji-soo shrugged. The gesture left people speechless.
* * *
With all the schedules completed, the children all went home.
And the moment the guardians had been waiting for arrived.