How to Tame a Dragon

☆

prologue.

"Using magic improperly usually results in an immediate suspension," Headmaster Kang speaks, holding his head in his hands and speaking in his usual, rough tone.

      He pinches at his forehead, squeezing his wrinkles together and sighing deeply, "but your son has already used up all his suspensions, and he hasn't learned. There isn't much more we can do for him under such a circumstance."

      His mother looks mortified, jaw slacked, and if Jisung listens closely, he can make out every thump-thumping of her chest by the minute.

      This is the fifth school in the area, and this is the fifth time Jisung's getting expelled for something utterly stupid (anyone with sense would know he's just fooling around).

      Sure, he can't put a finger on what exactly he did no matter how much he tries, but he just knows it's stupid.

      "So what you're saying is," his mother speaks, her lip trembling in the utmost amount of worry, "you're going to expel my son?"

      Headmaster Kang places a comforting hand on top of the distressed mother's hand, rubbing it soothingly (which makes Jisung inwardly cringe), "I'm saying that we can no longer hold a space for your child here at Corvus Academy. Hopefully, another school will be able to tolerate such animalistic behaviors."

      Something inside Jisung ticks at those words laced in utmost resentment for him and his character. It causes his eyes to flash red for a moment and the annoyance to course right through his veins, tensing up his shoulders and hardening his facial expression.

      Animalistic behaviors?

      The nerve this "headmaster'' has, averting his gaze from his mother to him, a fake smile copy-pasted from the smile he got when he first arrived at Corvus.

      "Please give him another shot, my Jisung will have no more scholarly options after getting expelled from Corvus," and suddenly Jisung has a very uncomfortable arm locked around his shoulders, pulling him close as though he needs to be protected (which he does not — he's seventeen for fuck's sake, he can take care of himself). "Ji, come on, how about you apologize to Mr. Kang? For...what exactly did you do?"

      "He misused his magical abilities to minimize the size of a classmate's private parts," Headmaster Kang says sternly, causing Jisung to snort in amusement despite his forming agitation.

      The hold around his shoulders progressively gets lighter, as if it's a hesitant hold on his body — his mother's shocked to the point where her large eyes are bulging from out of their sockets.

      "I'm sure this news has shocked you, but it's true. It is against school rules to utilize powers to make a mockery of other students."

      "But—"