Debugging a Dragon (Sort Of)

Jin-woo sighed. Talking to a giant, scaly monster in a mix of Korean and binary code was clearly not his best idea. The creature remained unimpressed, its reptilian eyes fixed on him with an unnerving intensity. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. This was definitely not going according to plan.

"Okay," he muttered to himself. "New plan. Observe and analyze." He decided to stop trying to communicate and instead focus on studying the creature. He noticed the way its scales shimmered in the sunlight, the subtle movements of its head, the way its claws gripped the earth. He was trying to understand its behavior, to identify any patterns or weaknesses. It was like debugging a particularly complex piece of software, only instead of lines of code, he was dealing with scales, claws, and glowing eyes.

He noticed that the creature seemed particularly interested in the berries he had gathered earlier. He held out a handful, cautiously. "Want a… berry?" he offered.

The creature didn't take its eyes off him, but it did sniff the air, its nostrils twitching. It took a step forward, then another, its movements slow and deliberate. Jin-woo held his breath, waiting to see what it would do.

The creature reached out a clawed hand and snatched the berries from his palm. It sniffed them again, then popped one into its mouth. It chewed slowly, its eyes closing slightly. Jin-woo watched, fascinated. It seemed… to enjoy the berries.

He held out another handful. The creature took them eagerly, this time making a soft, rumbling sound in its throat. Jin-woo smiled. "Maybe," he thought, "it's not so bad after all."

He spent the next few minutes sharing his berries with the creature. He even tried to offer it some of his chips, but it sniffed them disdainfully and turned away. "Okay," Jin-woo said. "Lesson learned. Dragons don't like chips."

As they shared the berries, Jin-woo started to feel a little less afraid. The creature seemed less threatening now, more… curious. He even dared to reach out and touch its scales. They were cool and smooth, like polished jade. He noticed the intricate patterns etched into each scale, like tiny runes or symbols. He wondered if they had any meaning.

"You're… kind of cool," Jin-woo said to the creature. "What are you, anyway? Some kind of… magical lizard?"

The creature blinked slowly, as if considering his question. Then, it did something that surprised Jin-woo. It opened its mouth and… spoke.

The voice was deep and resonant, echoing through the forest. "I am… Ryuu," it said.

Jin-woo's jaw dropped. "You… you can talk?" he stammered.

"Yes," Ryuu replied. "I can… talk."

Jin-woo was speechless. He had encountered a talking, scale-covered… dragon? This was officially the strangest day of his life. He was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, this isekai thing wasn't so bad after all. At least it was more interesting than debugging legacy code. He wondered if Ryuu had any interesting stories to tell. Maybe he could even learn some magic from a real dragon.

"So," Jin-woo said, finally finding his voice. "You're… a dragon?"

"Yes," Ryuu replied. "I am… a dragon."

"Wow," Jin-woo said. "That's… amazing." He paused. "So… Ryuu… what are you doing here?"

"I am… lost," Ryuu replied.

Jin-woo blinked. "Lost?" he repeated. "A dragon… is lost?"

"Yes," Ryuu said. "I… am lost."

Jin-woo chuckled. "Well," he said. "I'm lost too. Maybe we can be lost together." He wondered where Ryuu had come from. Was there a whole community of dragons somewhere? Maybe he could even meet some elves or dwarves. He had always wanted to see a real elf.

Ryuu tilted its head, as if considering this proposition. "Perhaps," it said.

Jin-woo smiled. "Great," he said. "Then it's settled. We're officially… lost buddies." He had a feeling that this was the beginning of a very strange, and very magical, friendship. He wondered what adventures awaited him in this new world. Maybe he would even find a way back home. But for now, he was content to be lost with a dragon.