Benevolence may not have been one of the things included in a first impression of her, but Minkyung had that side to her. She just wasn’t very good at showing it.

She knew that everyone else fought battles she knew nothing about, running a hidden race against people, time, whatever it may be.

She knew the limited extent of the assistance she could offer, but sometimes, the best way to help may have been the simplest way all along.

Like encouraging someone to keep running.

+

The sun beat relentlessly. Minkyung wiped the sweat off her face with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge across her face. She’s chided by a childish chuckle.

“You have dirt on your face.”

“You’re so annoying. What do you want?”

Siyeon cocked her head. “Hm? Who said I wanted something?”

“You only come here if you want something,” Minkyung muttered through heavy breaths. She heaved a shovel full of hay onto the trough. “If you don’t want anything, at least help me instead of standing there uselessly.”

“As if you ever help me with anything,” Siyeon grumbled, “you’re the least helpful person on earth.”

Siyeon meant it jokingly, but Minkyung would admit that it stung a bit. She had been feeling a bit too hopeless recently.

Suddenly, the young girl stood tall, eyebrows etched in determination. Minkyung was no stranger to her spunk; she had known Siyeon since before the girl could even walk.

“I want to enter the dragon race.”

Minkyung paused her shovelling to let out a roar of laughter. “As if. Isn’t it too late to enter anyway? The race is today.”

“I can get into anything,” Siyeon boasted, “problem is, I don’t have a dragon.”

Minkyung pursed her lips. “Ah. What a shame. So, are you going to use your legs? Run on foot?”

“Are you kidding? I’d lose,” Siyeon answered, missing the sarcasm. “That's why I have a favour to ask you. Please, let me-”

“No.”

“-borrow one of your dragons?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Pretty please?”

Minkyung shoveled the last of the hay and walked off, but Siyeon pursued her with futile cries. So she came to a sudden halt, dust flying at her feet, as Siyeon stumbled back in surprise.

“You ask me this every time there’s a race in the village and the answer is, and always will be, no. Besides, my father would kill me if I let you ride any of our dragons. He’s already mad at me. Stick to betting.”

“You’re no fun at all,” Siyeon whined. Suddenly, as if a switch had been turned off, a wide grin spread across her face as she grabbed Minkyung’s arm. “Well, it was worth a shot. Let’s go to the track, I want to look at the condition of the dragons before betting starts.”

Minkyung groaned. Truthfully, she had little interest in dragon racing. It was a dangerous sport that only a few found success in, but was enjoyed by many. Minkyung understood the appeal; she’d just rather play with dragons than see them race each other. Nevertheless, she let herself be dragged by Siyeon. The young girl was the type of enthusiast who would never shut up once she was let loose.

+

The track was already bustling. People from all over the village gathered to watch the race.

Siyeon weaved through the crowd like a fruit fly, her firm grasp on Minkyung’s wrist unyielding as she pulled the older girl towards the paddock.

“Sorry! Ah- sorry, I’m sorry. Oh!” Minkyung uttered the whole way through. She must’ve stepped on at least fourteen different feet.

Siyeon let out a sign once they finally escaped the swarm. “We should’ve gotten here earlier,” she said, spinning on her heels and leaning over the fence. Her eyes twinkled at the sight.

Various dragons roamed the enclosure. The rough sounds of their claws dragging across the dirt blended with low roars and the busy chatter of villagers. In contrast to the noise, what Minkyung and Siyeon saw before them was far from chaotic. The scales of the dragons shimmered under the glaring sun, their wings extending gracefully from their bodies, and a distinctive glint appeared in each of their glossy eyes.

“You can tell which dragons are maintained very carefully and seriously,” Siyeon stated. “Ah.”

She stretched her arm and pointed at a particular dragon. It glowed golden in colour; the light reflecting off its scales were almost blinding. Horns protruded from its head and along its neck, with the ends dulled off to blunt points. If they were sharpened, it would’ve looked truly daunting. Unlike the other dragons, it sat calmly with a poise that exuded dignity.

Minkyung thought it looked quite out of place. But it was certainly a magnificent dragon.

“That’s Geumwa,” Siyeon said, “his rider is Osa. They say he’s from a far-off land. He doesn’t talk much, but I heard he speaks in broken sentences. Luckily for him, dragon racing is a world where language isn’t needed. And so he conquers. He’ll probably win today.”

“So, you’re going to bet on Geumwa for the win?” Minkyung asked as she watched the golden dragon stretch its neck before lying down and closing its eyes.

She was met by a mocking snicker from Siyeon.

“Of course not,” Siyeon said, walking off and giving Minkyung no choice but to follow. “Betting on the heavy favourite has a low payoff. Everyone knows that.” Minkyung rolled her eyes as Siyeon strayed them further and further away from the crowd. “Anyway, I like to look at the dragons before placing my bets. They have good and bad days too, you know, just like you and me. And you can see it from how they look and act just before the race.”

Siyeon lead her to the back of a stable, devoid of any people, and towards a stack of crates along a section of the building. After being asked (or rather, demanded) by Siyeon, Minkyung helped her move the crates to reveal an opening in the wall.

The young girl crawled in before Minkyung could even utter out a question.

And just like that, they found themselves inside. The stable was large and filled with people and dragons just like outside, minus all the commotion.

At the other end of the stable, Minkyung noticed the closed doors. “Couldn’t we have entered through the doors like normal people?”

“There are guards over there.”

Minkyung froze in her steps. “You mean we aren’t supposed to be in here?”

“Of course not, silly. This place is for racers only,” Siyeon replied too non-chalantly for Minkyung’s comfort. “Just don’t say anything and follow my lead. I’ve done this dozens of times before.”

Minkyung followed her silently as Siyeon strolled down the stable, nodding her head with a smile at any rider they ran into. Her eyes, on the other hand, remained focused as she inspected every dragon they passed.

“Who are you betting on?” Minkyung whispered. She noticed Siyeon seemed to be searching rather than looking.

Instead of answering, Siyeon came to a sudden halt. The tip of her lips rose in a clever smile and Minkyung noticed the glint in her eyes. Following Siyeon’s line of sight, her own eyes landed on an ash grey dragon.

It paced slowly, clawing curiously at its surroundings. It, too, piqued Minkyung’s interest. It was nothing like the golden dragon they saw outside; rather, it was quite unremarkable in comparison, yet it had a charisma that drew Minkyung in. Its body was blanketed by smooth scales, resembling the stones Minkyung would use to skip across the water, with surfaces evened out by the waves. Its eyes, wide and alert, had a curious sparkle. 

“Excuse me,” came from a small voice within earshot, snapping Minkyung out of her moment. Her and Siyeon stepped away, allowing a girl to pass through and tend to the dragon. She was short and wore clothes that looked far too ordinary for a dragon racer.

They watched her bring a cup of water to the dragon’s mouth, but Minkyung’s eyes went to the gentle hand its back. The dragon’s tail danced in the air like a snake being charmed out of a basket.

They were both rough around the edges, human and dragon, but went together like sun and shine. They looked average, some might say, but they had a gravitational pull that interested Minkyung.  

Siyeon pulled her away before they could stare any more obviously.

“I’m betting on them,” Siyeon finally answered the question Minkyung had almost forgotten she asked.

“Who are they?”

“The rider is named Yebin,” Siyeon paused to look at Minkyung with a smile, “and that beauty of a creature is Melos.”

They exited stable the same way they came in – through the hole in the wall – without giving a second glance at any other dragons in the stable.

“Word has it that she’s a very good racer. Lots of wins under her belt. Even the races she loses, she still places within the top.”

Minkyung narrowed her eyes. “Then wouldn’t they be a favourite as well? You said favourites have low payoffs and yet you're betting on her.”

Siyeon gave her several reasons. First, in Siyeon’s words, she was known to win by ‘turning the tables’. She'd start slow and jump into first during the home stretch. But the feeling that she might not be able to come from behind made people anxious. Second, she had only won whenever Geumwa wasn’t racing.

“Osa’s been at it for so long, he’s built a certain kind of trust with his fans. Yebin, though, she’s new to the scene,” Siyeon explained. “Lastly, I heard she’s kind of unlikeable...you know, never talks to or shakes hands with other racers? People think she’s greedy and only cares about the prize money,” Siyeon paused with a shrug, “I don’t really care. You’d think once people turned into adults, they’d outgrow petty gossip, no?” She chuckled.

“Hm,” Minkyung hummed, “but Geumwa and Osa are racing today. You think she’ll win against them?”

Siyeon turned to her with a wide grin; she always got so into betting that Minkyung would forget she was just a kid, barely seventeen. But sometimes, her childishness shone through.

“Geumwa looks too calm today. Meanwhile, Melos is alert, but not nervous. Also,” she placed a finger on her chin, “when it comes to predicting the winner, people always overlook the relationship between rider and dragon. But you know, there’s a certain advantage with a close partnership, no matter the skill sets. And Yebin is always with Melos.”

Minkyung found herself listening too intently. Siyeon had the tendency to speak endlessly like a know-it-all when it came to dragon racing. It was funny, albeit uninteresting, to Minkyung. Usually, she zoned out, but strangely, she was all ears this day.

Siyeon shrugged, but the giddy grin remained on her face. “But who knows, maybe Geumwa will win today. The whole existence of a betting environment means there’s a level of predictability, but there’s still a tinge of ‘you-never-know’ and that,” she clasped her hands together, “is what makes this sport so, so exciting!”

The sound of ringing bells alerted the crowd that the race would soon start. Siyeon grabbed Minkyung’s hand witha  grin and ran.

+

Minkyung hadn’t been to many races recently. When she was young, her father brought her to them every time there was one in the village, but those trips stopped the moment she became old enough to decline. She never liked thinking about the way her father’s face fell the first time it happened. Minkyung wondered if it was selfish of her. 

Siyeon miraculously found them seats near the finish line where they could witness the all-important finishing moment. Minkyung suspected some bribery took place, but well, she was in no position to scold Siyeon when it came to dragon racing.

Minkyung felt the fire of the fervent crowd. Cheers and whoops polluted the air as flags of support flew in the sky. The roars of the audience only grew louder once the dragons and their racers appeared at the starting line.

Minkyung felt like she was about to go deaf when the announcer reached Geumwa, his rider Osa perched confidently on his back. Golden flags throughout the crowd were waved so vehemently, it looked like they were caught in a wind storm.

The first heat seemingly finished in a flash. As expected, the golden dragon finished well ahead of the others. Minkyung turned to Siyeon, expecting her to look worried about her bets, but only saw the young girl applaud respectively.

Minkyung couldn’t get behind the appeal; after all, where was the excitement if the winner was the one expected to win anyway? She was less than impressed as she watched Geumwa soar over the crowds with a proud Osa on his back.

The second batch of racers lined up soon after. Beside her, Siyeon mentioned something about how latter competitors were at a disadvantage for the final race since they had less time to rest, but Minkyung’s attention was already stolen by a certain ash grey dragon.

Melos appeared timid at the starting line; he lacked the poise and gravitas of Geumwa, but had a distinct charm on his own. His tail, pointed like a stone arrowhead, still danced in the air behind him. His gaze only stopped wandering once Yebin gave him a pat on the cheek.

Yebin. She was different from the other racers. She was small, undoubtedly young, but emanated an aura of determination. While the other racers waved to the crowd or did something flashy upon their introduction (for example, the bright red dragon beside Melos had breathed fire into the air, “forbidden during the race but they’re free to show off at the start,” Siyeon had chirped to Minkyung), Yebin remained stoic on top of Melos, eyes straight ahead of her. Nevertheless, the crowd roared for her in good sportsmanship.

Minkyung noticed something else that was odd about her. Unlike the other racers suited up from head to toe, Yebin wore no protective gear aside from a flimsy looking helmet that looked like it wouldn’t do much if she were to fall off her dragon. When Minkyung asked Siyeon about it, the younger girl just shrugged.

“Eh, when it comes to dragon racing, anything goes!”

Like the previous heat, the crowd silenced for the countdown and only broke into bone-shattering roars once the dragons bolted out of the start.

The race began with a running dash by the dragons.

“Why are they running?” Minkyung shouted at Siyeon. She knew her father once explained this to her as a child, but Minkyung never bothered to remember it.

“To gain the momentum they need to take off into the air! If they don’t gain enough, they’re doomed for the rest of the race! It’s crucial!” Siyeon hastily answered back, slightly annoyed Minkyung would ask such a question once the race had already started.

Through the cheers of the crowd, Minkyung’s ears picked up something peculiar from the track. It was a loud voice, still clear enough to be heard through all the noise (even through Siyeon’s incessant ear-shattering cheering beside her).

“Run! Run for your life, Melos! Run!”

Surely enough, it came from Yebin, who was yelling at the top of her lungs as she spurred on the dragon beneath her. Melos pumped his legs in response, charging with all his might, but the other dragons were just as fast.

At take-off, wings spread and flapped as dragons left the dirt track one by one. They soared into the air and over the crowds, circling the arena faster than a rising sun. Villagers craned their necks to watch the spectacle above them. 

Minkyung found herself more absorbed in the race than she had expected, though her eyes were only glued to one dragon.

Melos flew quickly through the air like a grey blur, but Minkyung never let him out of her sight. He was fourth, and then he was fifth, falling as far behind as sixth, but steadily, near the end, the blur of grey sped up. And suddenly, Melos overtook a dragon, and another, and another, and at the final stretch, exactly how Siyeon had told her, Minkyung watched in awe as he slowly pulled away from the rest, soaring straight into first.

By this time, the crowd’s roars grew monstrously and Minkyung felt like she was about to be carried away by the wind when the dragons zoomed past the finish line in front of her one by one.

+

Siyeon was fired up after the race. “Did you see that?! Did you?!!”

“Yes, yeah, I did,” Minkyung said, reluctantly accepting the corn on the cob Siyeon has been trying to shove into . The excitement of the race had her forgetting about her empty stomach, but the hunger had caught up to her now. 

“It was amazing! Jeez, I love come-from-behind victories. I feel surer over my bets now ‘cuz Melos is definitely going to win today!”

Siyeon continued to babble about the race, her hands flying fervently as she spoke. She had corn on one hand and a stick of grilled meat on the other and she waved them around as if they were dragons.

Minkyung laughed. She hadn’t felt this excited over dragon racing in…ever.

+

Although they had been cheering all day, it seemed that the audience never grew tired. They were just as loud as they were in the previous races, perhaps even louder since this was the final race of the day. The race that really mattered.

Minkyung didn’t bet on any dragon, but somehow, she felt even more anxious than the ever-giddy Siyeon. Melos and Geumwa were side by side at the starting line and seeing them right beside each other only seemingly emphasized their differences.

Geumwa was golden, like the sun, and certainly shining just as bright. On his back, Osa sat as tall as his dragon, an arm raised in greeting as he waved to the crowd like he was royalty.

Melos was ash grey, lacking the glimmer of the golden dragon beside him and remaining as timid as before. On his back, Yebin crouched in stillness. 

The two couldn't have been more different. 

Minkyung was fascinated; it was as if everyone else was completely invisible to Yebin. She and Melos gave off a different aura than the shining presence beside them - they were clearly the underdog - but with their win from the second heat in the back of everyone’s minds, everyone knew that they shouldn’t be underestimated.

The audience exploded as the dragons bolted out of the starting line.

As expected, Geumwa pulled ahead quickly as Melos struggled to keep up with the others. This time, Minkyung’s attention was caught between the two dragons.

But Yebin’s shouts were still distinguishable. “Melos, run! Run for your life! Run, Melos!”

Those words, so full of conviction, were enough to fish all of Minkyung’s support. Suddenly, she found herself shouting along with Siyeon, cheering as the dragons took off into the air.

Geumwa swerved through the sky like a diving vulture, remaining well ahead of everyone. There was a fight for second and another for third, with Melos right in the middle of the pack.

The audience grew louder as the dragons passed over the opposite end. And it was during this turn, as if the audience’s cheers had ignited an engine within, that the blur of grey started speeding through.

Soon enough, Melos was tailing Geumwa. Way ahead of the pack, the two steered much of the audience’s attention towards them.

Beside her, Siyeon squealed as she violently pumped her arm into the air, yelling 'Melos! Melos!'. If it was any other race, Minkyung would’ve laughed at her, but this time, she too cheered just as fervently. The audience’s fire had consumed her and she was unable to suppress it.

And then, before she could even blink, the dragons turned into the final stretch. Geumwa was just barely ahead with Melos scorching hot on his tail. Minkyung clenched her fists in anticipation.

Her eyes widened and her shouts became louder as the grey overtook the gold at the final moment. Soaring past the finish line, it was clear who won.

There were no grey flags in the arena, but the audience was just as fired up. Siyeon enveloped her in a victorious hug.  

+

The track remained busy even after the race. Siyeon had been talking Minkyung’s ear off ever since Melos passed the finish line. It was certainly an impressive victory, Minkyung would admit, and she’d be lying to herself if she said that she wasn’t more curious about the young girl and her ash grey dragon now.

Which was why she didn’t complain when Siyeon dragged her around looking for Yebin. Siyeon wanted to congratulate her in person. Unfortunately, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Minkyung thought it was strange. After all, she was today’s champion; a dark horse that defeated the heavy favourite, and ought to be the talk of the village for the next several days at least.

“It’s not that strange,” Siyeon explained, perched precariously on top of a wagon as her eyes scanned the crowd, “she’s known to just come and go.” She sighed, hopping off with a thud. “Well, there’s still the last event tomorrow. She’ll show up again.”

Minkyung noded and allowed Siyeon to continue with her tangent, letting the young girl brag about how much she had won from betting. Minkyung lent her an ear, but her attention and eyes were focused elsewhere.

Maybe Yebin would show up out of the blue at the corner of her peripheral vision.