WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 67: Yongduam Gate

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That night, after the incident.

After confirming that Sia was sound asleep, Rokan went to his study and fell into thought.

‘How did Minjun endure Yuria’s curse?’

The curse Yuria had placed was not one that an ordinary human could withstand through willpower alone.

It might have been an unremarkable curse by dragon standards, but it was powerful enough to leave not only a B-rank Hunter like Minjun but even A-rank Hunters, a level above him, completely helpless.

‘Has he already reached A-rank or higher?’

The thought briefly crossed Rokan’s mind, but he soon shook his head.

Minjun’s growth rate was exceptionally fast, but in Rokan’s eyes, he had not yet reached the level of an A-rank Hunter.

Then perhaps.

‘That child’s aura.’

A unique aura possessed by Minjun alone, something no human, dragon, or anyone else possessed.

Perhaps that aura had helped him overcome Yuria’s curse.

‘Theoretically, it is entirely possible.’

That possibility made Rokan hopeful, but it also worried him somewhat.

He worried that Minjun might grow strong enough to surpass even himself, an ancient dragon.

And after growing stronger, he worried that Minjun might not be able to control that seething power.

* * *

Taking Rokan’s advice that I needed some time to clear my head, I immediately booked a flight to Jeju Island for the next day.

After booking the ticket, I packed a lunch for Sia and asked Rokan to give it to her.

Sia said she was planning to go out for some fresh air soon too, though she did not say where, so I packed it for her to eat then.

It might not seem like much, but if little things like this kept adding up, they would surely help ease Sia’s heart.

And the next day.

As planned, I boarded a flight to Jeju Island.

I did not know what I would do to pass the time once I got there.

Still.

After arriving on Jeju Island, I had a quick lunch and headed straight for my first destination.

When I had looked over the major tourist spots the day before, there was one place that particularly caught my attention.

Yongduam, where I was headed now.

The scenery was supposed to be beautiful, but the biggest reason was, absurdly enough, its name.

A rock shaped like a dragon’s head.

Was I instinctively drawn to anything related to dragons because I was dating one?

‘Even I think that’s ridiculous.’

Who planned a trip like this?

Excited at the thought of getting some fresh air, taking pictures, and sending them to Sia, I headed toward Yongduam.

But when I arrived, something about the atmosphere seemed off.

Since it was a tourist attraction, there was nothing strange about it being crowded.

But it was definitely strange that the visitors were lingering around the area with such serious expressions. It was even stranger that barricades had been set up around a tourist attraction.

What was going on? Had there been an accident?

How could something happen the moment I started my trip?

With an ominous feeling running through my body, I approached a man controlling access nearby to find out what had happened.

“Excuse me, what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry. If you’re not a Hunter, you can’t enter.”

With that, the man blocked my way.

Had a Gate suddenly appeared near the tourist site?

Still, unless it was an especially dangerous Gate, they would not manage it this strictly.

“I’m a Hunter, actually.”

“Could I see your Hunter registration card?”

I showed him my Hunter registration card at his request.

“You’re cleared.”

“By the way, what happened in there? Did a new Gate open?”

“This is not something I can discuss in public. Would it be all right if we moved somewhere else to talk?”

Something smelled off.

Something suspicious.

I considered lying that I was with someone and saying I would leave, but my curiosity got the better of me.

“Sure.”

I would first find out what was happening. If it looked like getting involved would become troublesome, I could quietly back out then.

I followed the official inside the barricades.

The moment I entered the restricted area, I saw Hunters and people who appeared to be Hunter Headquarters officials moving around busily.

“What exactly did you call me over for?”

“A strange Gate appeared over there recently.”

I turned toward where the official pointed.

There was Yongduam, which I had seen online, and a Gate that had appeared directly above it.

“...It doesn’t look like an ordinary Gate?”

If it were an ordinary Gate, there would be no reason for this level of control, nor for all those people to be gathered in front of it.

“Yes. It is a Gate, but no one can enter it.”

“...What? No one can enter?”

“Exactly as I said. Many Hunters have attempted to enter and clear the Gate, but for some reason, none of them could get inside.”

What had I just heard?

If Hunters could not enter a Gate, then who could?

When I looked confused, the official nodded as though he understood and continued explaining.

“That is why the Association considers this an extremely serious matter. We do not know how things might go wrong here.”

Apparently, the higher-ups had instructed them not to inform civilians until further notice, in case the public fell into confusion.

“On top of that, the Gate is EX-rank. To make matters worse, it is also an Extra Gate, so we are having difficulty investigating it.”

The moment I heard its rank, I let out a sigh without realizing it.

“It’s one thing after another.”

“Exactly.”

The man let out a long sigh.

“If a Gate Break happens like this... we do not know what kind of disaster could strike this place.”

It was impossible to know whether it would be dangerous enough to devastate the entire area or, fortunately, end without anything happening.

But for now, they had to consider every possibility and act cautiously.

That was probably why so many Hunters were gathered there, preparing for a possible Gate Break.

“So, would you perhaps be willing to help as well?”

“...Pardon?”

“We are severely short on personnel considering the seriousness of the matter. This is Jeju Island, not the mainland, and since there is still an embargo, it is difficult to gather Hunters.”

Now that I heard the explanation, I understood why they were making this offer to a tourist passing by.

But that was another matter.

“...Could you give me some time to think?”

I had come to Jeju Island to clear my head, yet somehow I had only ended up with a worse headache.

I had not booked a return flight, I was alone, and I had no plans afterward, so it was not a huge issue.

Still, I had come all this way on a trip, and getting caught up in something complicated was not ideal.

Rationally, I should politely decline, but for some reason, the thought that I should accept his offer slowly began to rise in my mind.

I did not know why.

I simply felt drawn to it.

In the end, I decided to accept his offer and follow where my heart led me.

But first.

“What about pay?”

I should get paid what I was owed.

“You are a B-rank Hunter, correct? One moment.”

After searching for something on his phone, the man showed me the screen.

“As you can see, according to headquarters guidelines, you will be paid approximately 130,000 won for every hour you remain on standby.”

At 130,000 won an hour, that meant I could earn over three million won a day.

Maybe because of the hazard pay, but the money was better than I expected.

It was not an enormous amount compared to what the average B-rank Hunter earned, but this could pass without any fighting at all.

I wondered if it might be dangerous if something happened, but my pocket dimension was full of artifacts. If I used all of them, I probably would not die.

As long as the pocket dimension did not suddenly refuse to open again, that was.

Ugh, PTSD.

Thinking it would be fine to stay here for a day or two, I accepted the official’s offer and signed the contract.

Afterward, he led me over to where the other Hunters were waiting.

“Hello.”

When I approached, the Hunters who had been waiting around bored showed interest in the newcomer.

I did not know how long they had been there, but judging from their expressions, they had been quite bored.

“Oh, looks like we have new support. We were wondering when more people would come. Which guild are you from?”

“A guild?”

When I looked puzzled, the man who had first welcomed me spoke.

“Oh, you did not come after being contacted by a guild? Since the embargo means we cannot openly summon Hunters, the Hunter Association sent official notices to the guilds. They asked whether they could dispatch Hunters because of the situation. Everyone here came that way.”

Since they could not tell civilians yet, that was how they had gathered Hunters.

“I’m not in a guild.”

“What? Then how did you end up here?”

A woman beside him looked startled, apparently assuming I had been dispatched by a guild like they were.

“I originally came here alone to get some fresh air. But there were barricades up, so I came to see what was going on. Then somehow, I ended up here.”

“Wow.”

At my answer, everyone seemed amazed that something like this could happen. Even I thought the situation was ridiculous, so it must have been even more so for them.

“You came here for a little fresh air and ended up taking a temporary job.”

“Isn’t that how life is? Besides, I did not book a place to stay, and I only bought a one-way ticket, so it does not really matter.”

“Wow, you really are a free spirit. Did you score something like ninety-nine percent P on your MBTI test?”

“Not that high, but even I can tell that I have strong P tendencies.”

Perhaps to quickly ease the awkwardness, the Hunter who looked oldest took the lead and started some small talk.

“But exactly when did that Gate appear?”

“From what I heard, it was first discovered the night before last. There are still at least a few days before a Gate Break could happen.”

The Hunter who had first greeted me told me the information he had heard so far, mixed with his own opinions.

The Association was currently investigating the Gate, and if they could not find a way to enter it within the next day or two, the embargo would probably be lifted.

“By the way, Minjun, what do you think that Gate really is?”

“Hmm... I don’t know. Maybe it’s not an ordinary Gate, but a doorway to another world.”

I said it without much thought because they asked, but the other Hunters nodded as though it sounded plausible.

“Or maybe a dragon will come out of that Gate?”

The moment someone mentioned dragons, I flinched.

“A, a dragon? Out of nowhere?”

“Yeah. It’s an unusual EX-rank Gate, and it appeared right over Yongduam. There must be a reason for that.”

Ah, I could not exactly laugh at that.

I could not tell them that dragons had already settled here.

“But if it really is a dragon, what would happen?”

“I know... No dragon has ever been discovered before, so I’m curious.”

Perhaps because they had not had anything interesting to talk about, everyone began discussing what would happen if a dragon came out of the Gate.

Some worried that it might wipe out every human on Earth.

Others thought it would not be as big a deal as people expected.

Someone joked that nothing would happen as long as they offered vast amounts of gold and treasure to keep it happy.

And someone else let their imagination run wild, saying it might actually be friendlier toward humanity than expected.

And I.

I did not say anything. I only listened to them.

I could not afford to misspeak.

Then, while everyone was talking about dragons.

I began to feel something strange.

For some reason, my heart seemed to go thump, thump.

And I kept unconsciously turning my head toward the Gate.

It was as though the Gate were calling me over.

I stood up and walked toward the Gate as if possessed, stopping in front of it.

Normally, when you stood before a Gate, you either felt nothing or felt tense.

But for some reason, the closer I got to it, the more at peace I felt.

‘What is this?’

No one had said anything about this when they told me about the Gate earlier.

Thinking it was strange, I sat down in front of the Gate to take in the feeling.

Assuming nothing would happen.

But that was an incredibly careless thought.

“Huh? Uh...?”

The Gate that had not allowed anyone inside suddenly flashed with light and began sucking me in.

I had never heard of someone being kidnapped by a Gate.

But it was happening for real.

“Minjun!”

The Hunters shouted urgently and ran toward me to save me, but my body was already being pulled inside the Gate.

Footnotes:

MBTI’s “P” refers to the Perceiving preference, popularly associated with spontaneity and flexible planning.

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