JD 9

“Do this one too.”

“Wow, you’re seriously fast! Then this one too!”

Like sharks circling their prey, the staff swarmed around Hakyung, each clutching a document to their chest. Every single form they handed over bore clear traces of being filled out by hand. There seemed to be more than ten employees here, yet apparently none of them could use the program… The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

But Hakyung was already used to solving problems for the elderly back in his hometown.

In fact, he preferred it when people came to him with things to do. Compared to the boss’s incomprehensible orders to clean the room and eat meals, this was a breeze. It finally felt like he was earning his keep.

He stayed glued to his computer monitor all the way until lunchtime.

It was the first time he’d focused this long since prepping for his certification test, and his eyes ached from the strain. Blinking rapidly to moisten his dry eyelids, Hakyung finished the last form and handed it to the colleague two desks over.

“Wow! Thanks! You’re the new hire, right?”

“Sorry? Oh—yes.”

The man had spiky, short red hair and introduced himself with a sly grin as “Bu Geunrim.” He reminded Hakyung of a character from a basketball anime he’d once seen on TV.

As a thank-you for the help, Bu Geunrim dragged him off to the café in the building next door, saying he’d buy him a drink.

“So, newbie—what’s your species? I’m a Red Grouper! Don’t be fooled by the looks—I’m the top of the Red Grouper elites, which is why I got sent up here.”

“Ah, I see…”

Red Grouper…?

Hakyung had no idea what kind of sea creature that was, and he nodded awkwardly.

“Huh? What about you? What species are you?”

Bu Geunrim, it turned out, was quite the curious type. His eyes had a reddish tint, too, and the closer he leaned in, the more unnerving he looked.

Hakyung edged away slightly and replied in a small voice.

“Um, I’m a river dolphin.”

“A river dolphin…? So you live in rivers, not the sea?”

Nod, nod. Hakyung moved his head.

“Whoa! You live in a river? Not the ocean?! Why would Mr. Muheon hire a river dolphin?!”

Bu Geunrim bounced in excitement as if he’d just uncovered a massive secret.

Hakyung didn’t bother clarifying that he might only be here for a one-week temp position. If he said that, Bu Geunrim might actually start jumping in place.

Come to think of it, the staff here didn’t call the boss president—they called him “Mr. Muheon.”

“Um… so, what species is the boss? I tried asking earlier, but he ignored me.”

Hakyung asked cautiously. Bu Geunrim had definitely heard the question, but he had turned away like he hadn’t. His evasiveness was so suspicious that Hakyung narrowed his eyes.

Feigning cluelessness, Hakyung repeated the question. This time, Bu Geunrim let out a series of exaggerated coughs.

“I can’t just go talking about Mr. Muheon like that. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

I did ask him. He just didn’t answer!

Hakyung grumbled internally, but outwardly gave a polite nod.

He figured it might be safer for him not to know anything about the boss’s true identity.

Bu Geunrim seemed reassured by Hakyung’s mild reaction and quickly changed the subject.

“But seriously, how are you so good with computers? Did you take classes or something?”

“I taught myself. There are great online tutorials these days, so it’s totally doable on your own.”

“Oh yeah? You mean those ‘YouToob’ things young people are into?”

He didn’t seem much older than Hakyung, and yet he was calling young people “young people”…

His wording was odd, and he rolled his eyes around in curiosity like he was trying to visualize this “YouToob” place.

It wasn’t cute—just strange—so Hakyung instinctively looked away. He wished the drinks would come out already.

When they finally returned to the office with Bu Geunrim’s treat—an iced vanilla latte for Hakyung—the staff once again gathered around him like they’d been waiting.

He wondered what new task they were going to throw at him now.

But instead of documents, the employees handed over snacks: dried kelp, crispy seaweed chips, grilled filefish, shrimp crackers… Their love of the sea was intense.

As a river dolphin with thalassophobia, Kang Hakyung felt a shiver run down his spine at their generosity.

But turning down the snacks they’d so thoughtfully offered would’ve been rude.

So without showing a hint of discomfort, Hakyung gathered all the treats in his arms and returned to the dormitory.

There wasn’t even a desk or locker to put them on.

“Whew…”

Honestly, dealing with piles of paperwork would’ve been easier.

Handling all these sea-themed snacks he didn’t even like was much worse.

Hakyung glanced sideways at the snacks scattered on the floor and cautiously reached out his hand.

Maybe I’ll just try a little. I am kind of hungry, anyway.

He picked up the seaweed chips first. He’d eaten them a few times as a side dish before, so they weren’t unfamiliar.

Crunch—the moment they hit his mouth, the delicious sound and fun texture spread across his tongue.

The perfect balance of saltiness and umami wrapped around his taste buds. Hakyung’s eyes lit up.

One after another, he popped grilled filefish, dried kelp, and shrimp crackers into his mouth, and each bite made his shoulders tremble with delight.

I thought everything from the sea was salty and gross…! Who knew it could taste this good?

He gathered the snacks strewn across the floor into his arms, tossed his hat aside, and got serious about eating.

Nibble nibble, munch munch, slurp slurp.

The sounds filling his dorm room were so vivid that anyone passing by might’ve mistaken it for a mukbang ASMR recording.

Maybe they used really good ingredients—whatever it was, the snacks were so addictive that Hakyung lost himself completely.

So much so, in fact, that he didn’t even realize someone had entered his room.

“You’re really going at it.”

“Yeah, it’s super delicious!”

With his cheeks stuffed full of shrimp crackers, Hakyung threw up a double thumbs-up—only to jolt in surprise and turn his head.

The boss was leaning crookedly against the threshold of the door.

Gulp.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Hakyung jumped to his feet and quickly pulled the boss into the room.

Muheon’s eyebrows lifted and then lowered again, surprised by the river dolphin’s sudden initiative.

“You’re not supposed to step on the threshold! It chases away your luck!”

When he was little, his grandmother would scold him every time he stepped on the doorframe. The memory was still fresh enough that Hakyung had scolded the boss before realizing it.

Muheon let out a short laugh—it was probably the most absurd lecture he’d ever received in his life.

“Thanks for worrying about my luck.”

“Oh, uh… sure.”

Hakyung gave an awkward smile, then remembered his bare head and hurriedly put his hat back on. His soft, pink-tinted curls disappeared neatly beneath it.

For some reason, Muheon felt a twinge of disappointment. He clicked his tongue softly and spoke.

“I heard from Geunrim that you helped out a lot with the work today.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, the calculations for the week are all done.”

“Oh! Yeah, right! I helped out with the Excel files.”

Hakyung’s shoulders bounced with pride. Even though he’d been glued to the computer all morning, it felt like good practice in a real-world setting.

Despite having done someone else’s work for free, Hakyung didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

Muheon, seeing just how sweet this river dolphin was, gently patted his head. After yesterday, he was careful to keep his strength in check.

Hakyung smiled sheepishly at the praise, his dimples briefly appearing and then vanishing.

“Good kids deserve presents.”

Muheon pulled a small box from inside his coat.

Hakyung took it, but just held it quietly in his hands, not opening it. Muheon gave it a light tap.

“It’s not a bomb or anything. Go ahead, open it.”

“It’s not that, I just… I’m a paid employee, so I was only doing my job…”

“And complimenting good employees is my job.”

So this is the kind of verbal skill you need to be a boss…

Hakyung looked at him with admiration and slowly opened the box.

He had no idea what kind of gift it might be, so his heart thudded in anticipation.

Inside was a wind chime.

It was the dolphin decoration Muheon had mentioned the night before.

Hakyung’s eyes went wide as saucers. He quickly took it out of the box.

Inside a bell-shaped clear glass hung a small dolphin on a thread.

The dolphin, also made of what looked like glass, was a beautiful shade of pink.

It looked like it had been made just for him—a river dolphin—and Hakyung’s mouth spread into a huge smile.

Ting-a-ling.

When he gave it a gentle shake, a bright, pure sound filled the room.

He flicked his wrist back and forth, savoring the clear chime.

He’d told himself he didn’t need anything since he was only staying a week, that it would just feel like another debt…

But somehow, the sweet sound of the chime and the pink dolphin swimming inside had completely captivated him.

“All done playing?”

Muheon tapped Hakyung’s shoulder, pulling him out of his trance.

Just as he was about to start humming, Hakyung turned to him in surprise.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where?”

“Outside duty.”

Muheon grinned, his smile stretching wide as he pointed out the door.