JD 95

“Are you… laughing right now?”

A startled puff of breath escaped from Hakyung’s lips. At that, Muheon quickly shook his head. But of course, Muheon couldn’t fool Hakyung’s sharp eyes—at least not when it came to him.

Afraid Hakyung might really get upset, Muheon quickly pulled him into a tight hug and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve woken you instead of trying to let you sleep. That was my fault.”

“Right? How could you tell someone to rest and even wash them in a situation like that?”

“Yeah… What was I thinking?”

Muheon took full responsibility and coddled him, which quickly smoothed the sharp edge in Hakyung’s gaze. He wrapped his arms around Muheon’s back in return.

Muheon had just finished a ritual, and his body was warmer than usual. That kind of body heat was rare, so Hakyung intended to enjoy it while it lasted.

The way Hakyung’s anger melted away with just a few words from his husband made him seem like an incredibly easy river dolphin.

“Still, don’t you feel totally refreshed now? Look, even your dark circles are gone.”

“I had dark circles?”

Surprised by the comment as Muheon brushed beneath his eyes, Hakyung started looking around for a mirror. But of course, there was no mirror to be found in the middle of the forest.

Ugh, how embarrassing…!

If someone told you that you’d spent a passionate night with dark circles under your eyes, you’d be both worried and dumbfounded. He’d gotten all excited and aggressive without even knowing what his face looked like…

Flustered, Hakyung pulled his arms back from around Muheon and quickly covered his face with his hands.

“I told you, you look fine now.”

“Still… I mean, I am very curious and passionate when it comes to our married life, but hearing that I came on to you with a haggard face is just so embarrassing.”

“It wasn’t haggard. Just a little tired-looking. And there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We’re married.”

“Married…”

“Yeah, married.”

Hearing those two syllables made Hakyung’s ears perk up. He lowered his hands from his face, and Muheon didn’t miss his chance—he took Hakyung’s hand and laced their fingers together.

Then he planted light kisses all over Hakyung’s small face. The ticklish touch of his lips made Hakyung giggle. They say a married couple’s quarrel is like cutting water with a knife… and it was true.

Even if this had been more of a one-sided sulk, Hakyung decided to let it slide.

Their playful kisses continued for a while. In the vast, quiet forest, it was just the two of them. That fact only made Hakyung bolder. Kisses on the lips soon deepened—tongues met, breaths mingled. Excited moans escaped their mouths, and heat sparked across their bodies.

Muheon was no different. His already-warm body temperature only climbed higher.

They kissed with closed eyes, but then opened them at the same time. Just from the look in each other’s eyes, they knew what the other wanted.

“Should we go back to the room…?”

“Wait a second.”

Muheon looked around and led Hakyung a little deeper in. With his face flushed, Hakyung followed.

They passed colorful flowering trees and seaweed, and came upon a cave filled with radiant coral. The scene looked straight out of a documentary, and Hakyung’s eyes widened.

There was a place like this inside the forest…?

“This place only appears a few days a year. I thought it might be around that time, so I came to check. Looks like we’re lucky.”

“Only a few days a year…?”

It was so vivid and real—how could a place like this appear and disappear? Was this the mystery of the sea? For a river dolphin like Hakyung, who’d only ever lived in a small river, it was hard to understand.

Muheon also only knew the reason this place existed, not how to explain it in detail. Honestly, he’d never been that curious, so he hadn’t looked into it even after hundreds of years.

Still, since it was part of his domain in the West Sea, he felt like he should say something.

“Imugis sometimes return to their true forms to work or rest. It’s a good spot for that. Most beastmen don’t come this far, and even if they do, it’s hard to find.”

“Um… by true form, you mean the real imugi? Like from books?”

“Yeah.”

Muheon, too, occasionally returned to his true form. Compared to Huang Lin or Dok Gojin, who did so frequently, it was rare for Muheon. In fact, he hadn’t transformed at all lately because it was too much trouble.

These days, the only times his body changed were during rituals—or during sex with Hakyung.

Anyway, it had been twenty years since he’d awakened, so he figured he should probably shift into his true form and take a look around sometime soon.

He was mentally organizing his schedule when he felt a piercing gaze on his cheek. Muheon turned to where Hakyung was.

Just a few minutes ago, his eyes had been full of desire. Now, they were sparkling with curiosity.

As Muheon registered the shift, Hakyung shouted:

“Can I see your true form too?!”

Of course—that one word had triggered Hakyung’s curiosity. No surprise there. Hakyung loved Muheon’s black scales. Cool, smooth, soft, moist—they were the ultimate collection of every good texture in the world.

Even the few times he got to touch them were amazing, so imagine seeing the full body! And if Muheon’s true form was real—just like the imugis from old fairy tales—then it meant that form was covered head to toe in those beloved scales!

Hakyung held his excited heart in check. Normally, beastmen only had physical traits of their species—they couldn’t fully transform. Hakyung had features of a river dolphin, sure, but swimming in a river didn’t let him become one.

But Muheon was an imugi. Maybe because he was more like a divine being who had lived for centuries, he could return to his true form whenever he wanted.

Which meant… Hakyung might be able to see that pitch-black, gleaming form someday. He’d just found another reason to live a long life.

“You want to see it?”

“Of course! Do you know how beautiful your scales are, honey? When you shift into your true form, can I touch them? I feel like I’ll want to pet you all over!”

“Hm, I thought you were just saying that in the heat of sex… but maybe you really do think my scales are pretty.”

Muheon shyly covered his mouth. It meant a lot that Hakyung accepted such an otherworldly part of him—proof that he wasn’t quite like other beastmen—without a hint of discomfort.

More than that, Hakyung seemed to genuinely like it, maybe even more than Muheon had expected. That surprised him a little.

It was rare to see Muheon looking bashful. Hakyung beamed even more at his reaction. Seeing such a handsome face flushed with embarrassment had serious impact.

Overcome with affection, Hakyung bounced on the spot. He was trying to leave a kiss on the back of Muheon’s hand—the one still covering his mouth. He’d gone from river dolphin to full-on bunny.

After a few bouncy kisses, Muheon scooped Hakyung into his arms, wrapping Hakyung’s legs around his waist.

Satisfied with the secure position, Hakyung grabbed Muheon’s lips with his own. This time, he was a wildcat hunting its prey.

Their lips were not only wet now, but starting to swell from the intensity. The long kiss finally ended.

Panting hard, Hakyung clung to Muheon’s chest and rubbed his lips along the tendons of Muheon’s neck. The thick muscles and sinews didn’t budge no matter how tightly Hakyung clung—and he loved that.

“Now… shall we go inside?”

He hadn’t forgotten why they’d come here. Muheon chuckled softly at the ticklish feeling near his neck, then answered.

“There are two options.”

“Two?”

Hakyung tilted his head. He’d only expected one, so the second caught him off guard.

Muheon adjusted his hold on Hakyung and whispered low into his ear. His voice alone was enough to send shivers down Hakyung’s spine.

“One: we go into the cave now and have crazy sex. Two: you see my true form first, then we have crazy sex.”

Both choices were appealing—but the second was way more tempting. Either way, the crazy sex was a given.

After a mere 0.3 seconds of deliberation, Hakyung picked with enthusiasm.

“See your true form first! Then have crazy sex!”

His booming answer sounded like something out of a speech contest, and Muheon burst into laughter. Hakyung laughed just as brightly, following his lead.

And so now, Hakyung was kneeling inside the cave, eyes fixed on Muheon. He had refused the offer to sit comfortably.

From ancient times, imugis were revered and sacred beings. Even now, there were villages that offered rituals to imugis before going out to sea or holding major ceremonies.

Of course, Hakyung loved Muheon as his husband and held him in deep reverence… but he felt it would be wrong to act disrespectfully.

He swallowed dryly, tense with anticipation. Then, light erupted all around him—so strong he couldn’t keep his eyes open. Hakyung quickly shut them, yet everything remained blindingly white.

A few seconds passed.

At last, the brightness faded and darkness returned.

Cautiously, Hakyung lifted his tightly closed eyelids—

And the sight that greeted him was beyond belief.