JD 117

“I’ll talk to the manager, so can’t you just give me a ride? I want to hear more about Kim Taeyoung too.”

Beom Urim lightly tapped Gi Sang-oh’s shoulder with his long, white fingers. Every time he did that, it gave Sang-oh an uneasy feeling, but as Urim had said, standing around here blankly was risky, Urim was too famous.

Even now, a few people in a nearby café were clearly holding up their phones, trying to film them…

Gi Sang-oh managed to swallow yet another sigh and nodded.

“Well… I guess I could. I’ve got plenty to say about how much of a jerk that bastard is!”

The hammerhead took the bait the orca had tossed.

***

“Welcome!”

“Hello.”

Hakyung offered an awkward smile in return to the cheerful greeting from the Korean medicine doctor. He made it even more awkward by saying how thankful he was that Hakyung came again, since he’d been really curious.

Hakyung had been meaning to return, but work had kept him too busy, and he’d postponed his promised visit for over two weeks.

Today, work wasn’t too hectic, so he’d finally decided to take a half-day off and come. Naturally, Muheon was stuck to his side like a shadow.

“Did you go to the hospital?”

“Yes, I went right after. They gave me the same diagnosis.”

He gave a thumbs-up in admiration. “You’re really good at this.”

Chuckling at the compliment, the doctor soon sobered and looked Hakyung over with a serious expression.

“Any other issues? Sometimes Western medicine finds things that Oriental medicine might miss…”

“I had everything checked from head to toe. Everything else was fine. Right?”

Hakyung glanced back at Muheon for confirmation. Muheon nodded silently. Amid everything that had happened, at least Hakyung’s health being fine was a blessing.

Still, despite Hakyung’s clean bill of health, Muheon had one goal.

“His stamina’s too low. I want him to be fine even after skipping a whole night of sleep.”

“Uh… well… but you still need to sleep, don’t you?”

While the doctor did his best to tailor prescriptions to the patient’s needs, what Mugeon was suggesting was a bit much.

He’s clearly trying to do… that all night. Well, it’s their honeymoon.

The doctor glanced between the two and chuckled softly. Hakyung didn’t object either, though his ears turned a little red, maybe he didn’t mind the idea too much.

“Then I’ll prepare something focused on recovery and fatigue relief.”

“Thank you.”

“One more thing.”

He carefully took Hakyung’s pulse and began writing a string of unfamiliar Chinese characters on paper.

Hakyung, unable to decipher a single thing, tilted his head in confusion. What did that mean? He was curious but didn’t want to interrupt, so he just fiddled with his fingers.

“This is a formula that improves blood circulation and purifies the blood.”

“Oh… circulation…?”

“Yes. It’s easy for stagnant blood to build up. When that happens, it can cause a cold abdomen, pain, and other issues.”

The doctor’s gaze landed on Hakyung’s stomach. Hakyung gently rubbed around his belly button with his palm.

Listening to the doctor, it all started to make sense. Whether human or beastman, low body temperature tended to lead to various issues. He remembered his grandma, who’d struggled with cold hands and feet her whole life, saying something similar.

“Okay, I’ll take it properly and regularly. Please take good care of me!”

“Oh, if only all my patients were like you, Mr. Hakyung! So cheerful and strong!”

Smiling like a proud grandfather, the doctor’s kind laughter made Hakyung smile back.

He politely declined the suggestion to get acupuncture while he was there and quickly left the clinic. Watching Hajo with needles sticking out of his temples last time had traumatized him a bit.

And honestly, Muheon didn’t want Hakyung’s skin punctured either. Maybe that’s why Mugeon scooped him up and strode out faster than ever.

Because the appointment ended much sooner than expected, it was still bright outside. Days like this weren’t common, it felt like a waste to just head home.

“Should we go on a little date somewhere?”

“Sounds good. Is there anywhere you’ve been wanting to go?”

Muheon’s question sent Hakyung’s brain into overdrive. They’d already been to the amusement park he’d wanted to go to most, so nothing else came to mind.

They say once you skip school, you get good at it. But Hakyung had always been a diligent, rule-following type, so planning fun outings wasn’t his strong suit. As for Muheon, who had lived a dry, joyless life, he was even worse.

They stood awkwardly in the parking lot, silent for a long time. They had time, and they wanted to have fun, but neither of them had a clue what to do.

“This won’t do. I’ll look something up online.”

“Go ahead.”

After a while of browsing different sites, Hakyung suddenly let out a delighted “Oh!” He must have found something he liked.

Muheon leaned down to peek at the screen over his shoulder. The page was filled with info about private swimming pools, perfect for couples.

“I really want to go swimming again. It’s been ages. How about it?”

“Hmm. Pool water is cold.”

Muheon frowned slightly and ran his hand over Hakyung’s belly. His hand was so large it easily covered the area around Hakyung’s navel.

“It’s not midsummer yet, and cold water might be bad for you.”

It was basically a refusal, and Hakyung’s shoulders slumped. The sight of that sparkling, clear water had made him long to splash around in it.

Seeing him so deflated made Mugeon feel uneasy too. But there was no way he was letting him into water full of chill.

As he gently patted Hakyung’s shoulder, a thought suddenly flashed through Mugeon’s mind.

Gripping Hakyung’s shoulders firmly, he murmured,

“It’s not a private pool, but I know a place where we can have fun in warm water. Want to go?”

The answer, of course, was a resounding yes. They immediately headed to a department store and hit the sportswear section to shop for swimsuits.

“Can I pick out everything we’re going to wear?”

His brown eyes sparkled as he asked, how could anyone say no to that? Mugeon nodded without hesitation.

Delighted by the green light, Hakyung excitedly explored every corner of the store. From swimsuits with popular characters to ones with bizarre designs, the selection was endless.

For himself, Hakyung picked out an adorable baby-pink pair of swim shorts.

Mugeon chuckled inwardly. Of course he picked something like that.

In contrast, the swimsuit Hakyung handed him… was quite the minimalist design. The black swimsuit barely covered anything, smaller than the size of his palm. Mugeon’s lips tightened.

“You want me to wear this?”

“Yup! Look at the model over there wearing it—ack!”

Mugeon quickly covered Hakyung’s eyes to block his gaze entirely. Even if it was just a fashion ad, the model was practically naked. No way was he letting Hakyung look at such indecent pictures.

Suddenly blindfolded, Hakyung flailed for a second before bursting into laughter.

“Mister Mugeon, are you jealous?”

“I’m not…”

“C’mon, yes you are. Totally.”

Teasing, Hakyung rubbed his face against the hand covering his eyes. The twitching of Mugeon’s fingers made it clear he could feel every little movement.

The way Mugeon reacted to every little thing he did, it was just too cute. So Hakyung kept messing with him, eyes closed, and eventually turned around.

Seeing that Hakyung had closed his eyes on purpose so he wouldn’t see the model, Mugeon’s lips curled in a soft smile.

“You’d look way better in this than the model does!”

Hakyung stretched out the swimsuit with both hands, his eyes glittering again with excitement.

Once again, Mugeon couldn’t win. If his husband wanted to see him in that, how could he say no? He’d wear it, no question.

And once he did, Hakyung would fall for him all over again, and stop giving his attention to these useless distractions. Mugeon steeled himself and reached for his card.

But Hakyung beat him to it, handing the clerk his debit card first.

“I’m paying for this.”

“It’s expensive.”

“It’s nothing compared to the breathtaking view I’ll get later!”

Grinning wide, Hakyung signed the tablet with a flourish and marched confidently out of the store, ignoring the worried look on Mugeon’s face.

But behind his bold exterior, he was already thinking of the number of zeroes on that price tag… and mentally swearing off snacks for a while.

Yeah… department store prices really were next level.