Protector from Afar ✔️

Chapter 30 - Scent of the Dragon

Chapter 30
Scent of the Dragon

Back then

Jeongin sat in the back seat and played with his car; He let it glide through the air and imitated engine noises with his mouth. He cheerfully rocked with his feet that barely reaached the ground.

"Innie, please stop," said his mother, Ha-Eun.

"Leave him be," said his father, Jae-Su.

"You're not the one he keeps kicking in the back."

Jeongin was too deeply in his mission to send the car on its next adventure; In his thoughts he sat behind the wheel himself, thundered along the street and the engine howled loudly. A true racer! This time he did not notice his parents' tense mood.

The sun approached the horizon. Jeongin squeezed his eyes shut, blinded. The radio played music quietly, and together with the movements of the car, slowly Jeongin drifted off to sleep.

Boom

Jae-Su hit the brake and clutch and kept the steering wheel steady, while he steered the car in a ditch without rolling over. Jeongin howled totally scared. Ha-Eun unfastened the seat belt with shaky fingers, got out and hurried back to her son. Thick smoke blew over the car's roof, it seemed to be coming out of a rear tire. Tears rolled over his cheeks and into his mother's blouse while she pressed him firmly to her chest and quickly increased the distance between herself and the car. Jeongin's little hands clawed into his mother's shoulders. He didn't understand what was going on. Why was he suddenly so scared?

Soothingly, Ha-Eun rocked back and forth, humming a melody. Jae-Su followed shortly afterwards. He pulled his family into a hug and gently rubbed his wife's back. In the security of his parents, lil-Jeongin soon stopped crying.

"Is everything okay over there?"

Jae-Su looked over his shoulder when he heard a voice calling. A tall, wide-shouldered man approached with big steps.

"Anyone injured? That bang was deafening."

"We're not hurt, thanks, just a little scared," Jae-Su said.

He studied the face of the stranger; A fresh looking wound over his cheek, the edges were still red. Black hair and sky-blue eyes. He still looked quite young, probably in Jae-Sus age. All in all, the man made a decent impression.

Ha-Eun, on the other hand, had noticed the typical lavender scent of a dragon. She instinctively pulled her son closer. Her eyes locked with those of the man and for a short moment it seemed as if both had the same thought. I know what you are, there's no reason to fight.

"Do you know where I can make some calls? Strangely, I have no reception here..."

And no replacement tire, he added in his thoughts. Jae-Sus eyebrows contracted as he looked down at his phone.

"You can use the landline at the inn."

With a short nod, the man asked the two stranded people to follow him. Jae-Su brought up the rear as they were crossing the street. The car stood smoking in the sand, black brake tracks were burned deep into the asphalt. Seagulls screamed and the orange light of the low sun reflected on the surface of the sea.

Ha-Eun entered the small inn in the middle of nowhere and the intensive lavender scent hit her in the face like a slap. Here it was swarming with dragons. But she couldn't say that to her husband. Because then she would have to explain that she was different. Qilin blood flowed through their veins. A mystical being that only occurred in legends and fables. She wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted, many times; After the first date, on the first anniversary, on the third and fourth, before he proposed to her, even shortly before she said 'yes'. He deserved the truth, since he was always a loving and sincere man.