JD 138

Without being able to give a proper excuse, they had to hurry up to the hospital room. If they dawdled any longer, they’d definitely end up labeled as difficult patient and guardian.

Even though Muheon’s leg wasn’t injured, Hakyung was eager to support him.

“I told you I can walk on my own.”

“Still, you shouldn’t be moving too much. Right, Uncle Sang-oh?”

Hakyung looked over to Ki Sang-oh for support. Sang-oh glanced at Hakyung, then at Muheon, then gave an awkward laugh. It was one of those situations where taking sides was dangerous.

If he agreed with Hakyung, Muheon would glare daggers at him. But if he sided with Muheon, Hakyung’s lips would jut out in a sulky pout. He could only pray they made it to the room quickly.

Thankfully, before Sang-oh had to choose a side, the elevator arrived at the 8th floor.

“L-let’s go!”

Sang-oh bolted out first. A nurse at the desk recognized them and guided them to the room.

Though it had only been a simple suturing, the fact that it happened during a baseball game, and was already in the news, meant the team had gone the extra mile to handle it smoothly.

“We’ll run the admission tests right away. Please rest in the meantime.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as the nurse left, Hakyung stood in front of Muheon and gave him a sparkling look, as if asking, Got anything you need me to do? But since Muheon really wasn’t uncomfortable or in need of anything, he could only respond with an awkward smile.

Of course, Hakyung wasn’t one to just sit still. He started bustling around the hospital room like a country puppy, ready to invent chores if there weren’t any real ones.

“You can just sit and rest, you know. Yeah?”

“No way. Even if it’s just one night, you should be comfortable.”

There was no stopping Hakyung once he got stubborn. That promise to keep holding hands? Must’ve been a different dolphin from a different home.

Muheon sighed quietly and rubbed his face. He could guess why Hakyung was being so frantic. Sitting still would only make him restless and bring up scary memories.

Apparently, Sang-oh agreed, because he didn’t try to stop Hakyung either. He too felt pity for him.

Knock knock. Just as they were each lost in their own thoughts, visitors arrived, someone from the team and the police.

They asked for a detailed description of the suspect’s appearance, characteristics, and any known relationship. Seeing the police for the first time, Hakyung froze. Just as he was about to mention Kim Taeyoung, Muheon subtly pulled him behind and gave a carefully mixed testimony of truth and falsehood.

Since Muheon had used his powers, it was nearly impossible for anyone to trace Kim Taeyoung’s movements within their range.

Sang-oh, quick to pick up on the situation, gently pulled Hakyung away and led him aside. Hakyung’s face was full of questions.

“Why? I can tell them everything. He got hurt because of me!”

“Well, I mean… yeah, technically true! But we’ll handle the guy who did this to Muheon.”

“Huh…?”

Hakyung’s eyes widened. ‘We’ll handle it’? What exactly did that mean?

Sang-oh leaned in and whispered in his ear, scanning the area like he was sharing a state secret. Hakyung tensed instinctively.

“That bastard hurt the West Sea Imoogi. If we leave it to human law, he’ll get off with a slap on the wrist. As beastmen of the West Sea, we can’t allow that. So we’re going to punish him, our way.”

It was a lot to take in all at once, but what Hakyung understood clearly was that the West Sea beastmen had no intention of letting Kim Taeyoung off the hook.

“But… will you be able to catch him? We still don’t even know where he ran off to…”

While Hakyung was reeling from the shock of Muheon’s injury, Kim Taeyoung had vanished without a trace. By the time Hakyung realized it, it was far too late. He had even regretted not taking action in that fleeting moment when he’d wanted to hurt him.

Though now, with Muheon at his side, he was glad he hadn’t ended up in jail.

“You must not know this, but West Sea beastmen have pretty impressive abilities. Don’t worry. Last time too-uh.”

“Last time…?”

Sang-oh had been about to mention when they’d secretly imprisoned Kim Taeyoung on an island, but quickly shut his mouth.

When Hakyung asked about the phrase he barely caught, Sang-oh fumbled his way through a vague response. Subtle redirection was not his strong suit.

“Anyway, if you ever need my help, please promise you’ll let me know. Otherwise, I’ll just go tell the police rig—”

Seeing Hakyung about to storm off toward the hospital room, Sang-oh blocked his path like someone trying to stop a puppy about to run into traffic.

If he had treats, he’d have used them.

“Whoa, okay, okay! Stop! Freeze! We will catch Kim Taeyoung, no matter what. And if we need help, I promise we’ll ask. Scout’s honor.”

“Really…?”

“Of course!”

Honestly, now that Kim Taeyoung was in Beom Urim’s hands, the man probably wouldn’t be setting foot in Korea again, but for Hakyung’s peace of mind, Sang-oh fudged the truth.

His brain was probably already overloaded. No need to pile on more.

So Sang-oh just patted Hakyung’s shoulder gently to comfort him.

“Oh, Mr. Kang Hakyung.”

The team representative stepped out of the hospital room. The investigation must have wrapped up quickly. He waved at Hakyung, who answered shortly and approached.

“We’re very sorry that such a thing happened to your companion during what was supposed to be a celebratory appearance. The team will fully cooperate with the police to track down the culprit. Unfortunately… the CCTV footage from that area wasn’t recorded properly, and there were fewer witnesses than expected. It might take some time.”

“I understand.”

“We’ll also be covering all the medical expenses, so please don’t worry about that.”

“Thank you.”

After repeating his apologies, the representative rushed off again at the police’s call. He already looked exhausted, clearly overwhelmed with trying to clean up the mess.

As the person who had unwittingly started this whole chain of events, Hakyung’s conscience pricked at him, but he kept his lips sealed, he’d made a promise to Sang-oh. All he could do now was hope Kim Taeyoung would be caught soon.

That night, worried calls poured in from his family back in the countryside. When they heard Muheon had been the victim in the baseball stadium incident, they practically screamed, and Hakyung almost hit the “end call” button out of sheer panic.

They only ended the call after hearing Muheon’s healthy voice several times to reassure themselves.

“Phew. Strict bed rest, huh…”

Hakyung muttered, glaring at the now-dark phone screen. Muheon chuckled, saying how nice it was to see Hakyung so concerned.

He didn’t actually mind seeing his husband a little more sensitive than usual, but it was getting late. He didn’t want to keep Hakyung up all night worrying.

Muheon patted the empty space beside him.

“Come here. Time for bed.”

“Oh, right. You need total rest and proper sleep. Lie down.”

But instead of a cuddly dolphin, a strict dorm supervisor had appeared. Ignoring the invitation, Hakyung busied himself fussing over Muheon’s condition—checking his forehead for fever, inspecting his shoulder for signs of bleeding or heat, checking the IV drip…

Meanwhile, Muheon was simply wondering how to snuggle Hakyung in his arms while they slept.

His recovery rate far exceeded that of any human. A wound like this would be completely healed in just a few days. The problem was that Hakyung refused to listen to that, no matter how many times he repeated it.

“You know I can’t sleep without you. Come on. Please?”

In the end, Muheon had to act spoiled just to get his way. At that, the supervisor melted back into a squishy dolphin.

Hakyung stopped fussing and sat beside him on the bed. Muheon immediately wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on Hakyung’s shoulder, clinging tightly.

Usually, Hakyung would have grumbled about how uncomfortable it was, but today he stayed still. That was nice, too.

Muheon smiled to himself. Maybe I’ll milk this for all it’s worth for a while.

Unaware of what Muheon was thinking, Hakyung gently patted his back, as if handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

And so the unfamiliar night in a hospital passed quietly.