JD 100

Seeing Muheon so flustered, Hakyung quickly added,

“When I think about it, what I’m already getting paid is more than enough. Taking any more than that would really make me a thief.”

“That’s not true. It’s not too much.”

Muheon genuinely meant it when he said he wanted to give Hakyung a raise. Since Hakyung joined, document work had sped up noticeably, and the overall atmosphere in the office had grown brighter.

The effect of Kang Hakyung was impossible to ignore—not just in work, but in every other aspect. From Muheon’s perspective, as someone essentially running the company, there were more than enough reasons to justify raising Hakyung’s salary.

Besides, Muheon knew Hakyung was supporting his younger brothers’ tuition and helping with life back in the countryside—all with his own earnings. And when it came to salary, wasn’t more always better?

Just as Muheon opened his mouth to say something more, Hakyung placed both hands on his waist and let out a stern tsssk—the kind of thing only a kindergartener would do.

“That was then. This is now. If you’re going to talk about sticking to the contract, let’s rewrite it right now.”

“Isn’t more money good?”

“Who said I don’t like money? I just want to be paid what I actually earn, no more than that.”

Anyone else in the company hearing this might have said, “You’re already being paid more than you work for.”

Truthfully, Hakyung had it very easy. In another company, even if they were married, spending this much time in the CEO’s office would be unthinkable.

Now that he thought about it, he was more of a delinquent employee than a model one. Hakyung vowed not to so much as glance toward the CEO’s office starting tomorrow.

But despite Hakyung’s internal promise, Muheon still looked completely puzzled. Hakyung shook his head. How could anyone possibly understand the deep, complicated thoughts of a river dolphin like him?

No doubt about it—his husband had a very loose sense of money.

From that day on, every video Hakyung uploaded racked up high view counts.

His replies to comments—especially when he personally responded—drew explosive reactions. Most people were cheering him on, saying if their husband ever sang a wedding song like that, they’d get married every single day.

The support, full of playful exaggeration, sent Hakyung’s spirits soaring once more.

After the wedding video, Hakyung resumed covering his face, showing only his voice. But the top-liked comment on almost every video was a request to show his face again.

Of course, Hakyung had indeed used this face and voice to “snag” Muheon—but he also knew he wasn’t that handsome.

And how could he brag about his looks when Muheon was right beside him? Next to someone like that, it was hard not to stay humble. Whenever Hakyung saw those comments, he never knew what to do with himself.

Meanwhile, Muheon was growing increasingly anxious that Hakyung might reveal his face again. So he very intentionally refrained from encouraging the river dolphin who was already hesitant about showing himself. His possessiveness was rock-solid.

So while the YouTube channel was thriving, Hakyung’s daily life remained very busy.

Work, marriage, and being the eldest sibling all kept him on his toes.

Even though today was the weekend, Hajo had a special lecture at the academy, and since it was his first session, Hakyung had promised to go with him.

But after clinging to Muheon all night on Friday, Hakyung’s body felt like it weighed a ton. Just a few more hours of lying in bed sounded like heaven.

The duty to wake up and the instinct to stay wrapped in blankets clashed fiercely—Hakyung squirmed like a larva under the covers.

“If it’s too hard, you could ask Park Geowong to go with him instead,” Muheon offered, voice full of concern. Though, given that his large hand was kneading Hakyung’s round butt, it seemed like what he really wanted was another round.

Tempting as the suggestion was, Hakyung sat up, wincing as he grabbed his sore waist.

A few side-to-side stretches helped clear the fog from his brain.

“Today’s Hajo’s first math lecture, and I promised I’d go with him.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep. I’ll be back soon.”

He leaned in and gave Muheon a quick kiss on the lips, then swung his legs over the bed.

Muheon’s eyes lingered on Hakyung’s smooth, pale thighs and calves. Even though he’d left plenty of marks on that porcelain skin throughout the night, it still wasn’t enough. He always felt parched for more of Kang Hakyung.

Grabbing Hakyung by the waist before he could reach the bathroom, Muheon pulled him onto his stomach and dragged him in for a deep kiss.

As their tongues tangled and a faint moan slipped from Hakyung’s throat, the wet sounds of their kiss filled the room like a heavenly melody. Muheon laughed quietly—he was getting better at expressing himself day by day.

“Nh…!”

He gave Hakyung’s lower lip one final bite before letting go. It wasn’t hard enough to draw blood, but it left his lips red and swollen—perfectly kissable.

Muheon licked the spot where he had left a bite mark.

“Seriously… I must’ve married a puppy.”

“Yeah. Now pet me.”

Muheon guided his head under Hakyung’s palm, tilting it insistently as if asking to be stroked.

Caught off guard by the unexpected display of affection, Hakyung threw his arms around Muheon. Muheon held him securely as Hakyung wrapped his calves tightly around Muheon’s waist and whispered,

“You do remember tomorrow’s the weekend, right?”

“Of course. You’re not going anywhere tomorrow.”

Muheon replied with matching sincerity, like a declaration of war—of love. Delighted by the answer, Hakyung ran his fingers through Muheon’s black hair in rapid strokes before heading to the bathroom.

His hips swayed temptingly with each step, and Muheon smacked his lips. It felt like someone had dangled a treat right in front of a dog’s nose and told him to wait.

Hakyung declined Muheon’s offer to drive him and instead boarded a city bus alone. As much as he loved being with Muheon, he also enjoyed riding the bus, listening to music through his earbuds and watching the scenery pass by.

Unlike the countryside, Seoul’s traffic didn’t allow for much speed, but the ever-changing cityscape made up for it.

He found himself mouthing along to several songs before spotting the academy Hajo was starting at today. Thankfully, it wasn’t far from where he’d last studied, so it didn’t take long to find.

When he arrived in front of the building, it seemed the morning classes had just ended—clusters of kids Hajo’s age were trickling out.

Once again, Hakyung thought: being a high schooler in Korea must be the most extreme job. It was probably even tougher if you weren’t going straight into the workforce like he had and were planning to attend college. Watching them with a mix of admiration and sympathy—

“Hyung!”

“Oh—Hajo!”

Hajo came running up, waving enthusiastically with a backpack almost bigger than himself. Behind him, Geowong also waved in greeting.

Hakyung bowed slightly in Geowong’s direction, then smiled brightly as he welcomed Hajo.

“Was it hard getting here? You didn’t act out in front of Mr. Geowong, right? Did you remember to say thank you?”

“It wasn’t hard at all! I just studied quietly the whole way! And I said thank you when I got in and out of the car!”

“Mm. Good job.”

Hakyung patted his little brother’s shoulder. Sometimes, Hajo felt like he was fifty years younger than Hakyung, not just five.

After their parents passed away and they were raised by their grandmother, Hakyung became extremely strict about manners. He always said that when they behaved rudely, it wasn’t just Grandma they disrespected—but their late parents too.

Because of that, both Hajo and Hawon made sure to behave properly just to avoid hearing one of Hakyung’s long lectures. In some ways, their big brother was even more old-fashioned than Grandma.

“Got a minute? Want to grab a burger before class?”

“Sure!”

At Hakyung’s suggestion, Hajo nodded eagerly. The happy river dolphin brothers held hands and walked into a nearby burger place.

They both ordered shrimp burger sets and sat down. It was their first real face-to-face chat since the wedding, so naturally, the topic turned to Hakyung’s YouTube channel.

Hajo was all fired up, saying this could lead to paid sponsorships or even collaborations with other creators if it kept going.

Hakyung waved his hands, saying that was way too much to hope for—but just then, Hajo suddenly let out a surprised gasp.

“Uh-oh?”

He looked like he was about to bolt. Alarmed, Hakyung turned to look behind them, but there was nothing there.

“What is it? Did you see something?”

“Uh… no, no, it’s nothing…”

Hajo’s face had gone ghostly pale. No matter how many times Hakyung asked, he just kept shaking his head.

In the end, Hakyung had to drop him off at the academy with a gnawing sense of unease.

What on earth did he see…?