JD 121

Muheon’s massage was absolutely incredible. Hakyung, who had sworn never to even mention the word “hot spring” again, dove straight back in the moment his sore, heavy muscles melted into softness.

He was a master at saying one thing and doing another.

His swimsuit had already been ruined beyond use, so Hakyung had no choice but to splash around happily in the hot spring, stark naked.

Muheon, who still wasn’t suited to hot water, was content just watching his excited river dolphin.

After the second and third rounds of water play, they finally checked the time, it was already past 6 p.m.

Gurgle.

Hakyung’s stomach let out a fierce protest, practically demanding to be fed.

“Should we head out?”

“Yes! Then let’s grab dinner before we go home?”

“Sounds good. Anything you want in particular?”

Today, Muheon seemed ready to give Hakyung whatever he wanted. Hakyung hummed as he thought hard, then blurted, “Hinoki steam with soy-marinated shrimp rice!”

Muheon nodded, apparently satisfied with the solid menu choice from his river dolphin.

After stuffing himself with meat and rice at a nearby mall, Hakyung exhaled contentedly in the passenger seat.

Water play was one of the most energy-draining activities, and the current sluggishness in his body proved it.

Yawn, yawn. Hakyung rubbed his eyes after back-to-back yawns.

“If you’re sleepy, go ahead and rest. Should I recline your seat?” Muheon gently pulled down Hakyung’s hand, worried he might rub too hard. Hakyung shook his head in response to the offer but yawned again.

Muheon let out a quiet chuckle at how much he resembled a tired puppy and placed his palm gently over Hakyung’s eyelids.

The coolness of Muheon’s touch soothed the warmth around Hakyung’s tired eyes. Holding Muheon’s hand tightly in both of his, Hakyung drifted off to sleep.

“Hakyung, are you asleep?”

Muheon asked in a low voice once the fluttering of his lashes came to a stop. No answer. Hakyung had fallen into a deep sleep before anyone noticed, and Muheon carefully turned the steering wheel, doing his best not to wake his husband.

***

Bingo Music_ Hello! Please confirm the final YouTube cut!

A new email landed in his inbox. It said the video they’d shot at the studio last time was now complete and attached the final version.

If any edits are needed, please let us know by the end of the day! Thank you!

Hakyung read every word of the message carefully, right down to the polite closing request. He hovered over the video but hesitated, exhaling sharply. After a few deep breaths to steady himself, he cautiously glanced around.

The hyungs were all busy with their own tasks. It looked like no one would say anything if he slipped away to the president’s office for a bit.

To be fair, no one had ever said anything about Hakyung going there. He was, after all, the partner of the legendary West Sea Imugi. No one in their right mind would dare complain.

Still, whenever he felt like he was taking too many liberties at work, guilt pricked at his conscience. It didn’t happen often, but he was still a salaried employee, so he always tried to be careful.

That said, this time, he absolutely had to go.

With a solemn expression, Hakyung began to rise from his seat. Anyone watching might have thought he was on some secret mission, but the reality was much simpler: he was just a very excited river dolphin who wanted to watch his new video with his husband.

Tablet in hand, Hakyung knocked on the president’s office door.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, come in.”

Muheon’s low voice came through the door. Hakyung grinned and stepped inside.

Muheon’s gaze was still locked on the monitor, presumably reviewing documents.

Men who focused on their work were hot. If that man happened to be your husband, he was 20,000 times hotter.

Suppressing a giddy internal squeal, Hakyung made his way over to Muheon’s desk. Muheon’s eyes finally moved from the screen to him.

“Are you busy?”

“Not really. It wasn’t anything urgent. What’s up?”

As Hakyung turned toward the monitor, Muheon clicked it off and stood up. He wrapped an arm around Hakyung’s shoulders and guided him to the couch.

His motions were so natural, so fluid, that Hakyung handed over the tablet without the slightest suspicion.

Muheon raised an eyebrow, wondering what this was. Hakyung pointed at the video attachment from the email.

“The video from the studio, they said it’s finally done!”

“Oh, from Bingo Music?”

“Yeah, that one! But I’m too nervous to watch it alone. I think I need to hold your hand.”

Maybe he really was nervous, Hakyung’s fingertips, usually warmer than Muheon’s, felt cold.

He was such a confident singer; Muheon couldn’t imagine what he had to be nervous about. Still, he said nothing and simply massaged Hakyung’s hands with firm, steady pressure.

Encouraged by that silent support, Hakyung pressed play.

The channel’s usual jingle ended, and the names of this episode’s featured performers rolled in.

‘Mu-il Mu-i_Kang Hakyung’

When the name and channel title popped up at the end, Hakyung bounced in place.

Muheon, who had been quietly cheering him on, suddenly tensed up like a parent at a school recital.

As the piano-only intro began, amateur YouTubers started appearing on screen in turn, each one shown in close-up.

But Muheon’s eyes didn’t even register the others. All he could see was Hakyung’s bright, clear face appearing near the end, burned into his retinas.

“Wow, that expression is so weird!”

Hakyung, who just moments ago said he was too nervous to watch, suddenly started chattering nonstop. He blushed about his awkward expression, cringed at his hand gestures, and couldn’t stop talking.

Still, it seemed like he was happy with the actual singing, he had no complaints about the song itself.

As Hakyung relaxed, Muheon grew more tense. His grip on Hakyung’s hand tightened.

Even after the ten-minute video ended, Muheon was still holding on with enough force to leave a mark. If Hakyung hadn’t yelped out an “Ouch!”, Muheon might’ve crushed him.

Startled, Muheon finally let go, but it was too late. Hakyung’s pale skin was already flushed red where the pressure had been.

Click. Muheon clucked his tongue at himself and gently stroked the mark with his thumb.

“That hurt, huh… I’m sorry.”

“It only hurt a second. I’m fine now. But… what’s with that face? Was my singing that bad? So bad you couldn’t even finish watching? Or do I just look that weird?”

Muheon had been wearing a grim expression since the video ended. Worried now, Hakyung restarted the video.

Sure, his gestures and camera presence were awkward, but it wasn’t like he was unwatchable. That made Muheon’s reaction even harder to read.

Hakyung had secretly hoped that Muheon would shower him with sweet compliments throughout the video. That hope had turned out to be foolish. Seeing his husband’s reaction left him completely deflated.

When Hakyung stopped talking, the only thing left in the room was the sound of the song echoing softly from the tablet.

Unable to stand the silence, Hakyung jumped to his feet.

“I-I’m going! I’m gonna ask them to cut my part!”

“Wait—don’t go. Just wait a second.”

Muheon quickly reached out and pulled the sulking Hakyung back down. Then he took a deep breath.

Hakyung had looked stunning in the video. Not because he was his husband, he was just genuinely beautiful.

And once this video went public, others would see that too. They’d fall for Kang Hakyung. They’d want him more than they already did. Just imagining that was enough to make Muheon burn with jealousy.

He knew it was petty and ridiculous, but the more Hakyung sang, the more that anxiety grew. It wasn’t something Muheon could reason his way out of.

No one admired Hakyung’s talent more than he did, but he also selfishly wished he could keep it hidden.

Lost in those tangled emotions, Muheon hadn’t even realized his face had gone cold.

“You were amazing. There’s no one better than you on YouTube.”

“Liar. Then why did you watch it with that pissed-off face?”

Hakyung pouted, lips sticking out. The excitement he’d felt about the video had vanished, leaving him sulky and annoyed.

Muheon chuckled softly at his river dolphin’s honest reactions and reached out to gently poke his soft cheek.

Yeah. No one else gets to see this side of him.

Hakyung only acted like this with him.

Suppressing his irrational jealousy, Muheon quietly explained what he’d been feeling.

“You know how it is. You looked so good. So talented. I just… got scared. Of how many people are going to fall for you after this. And yeah, I got mad just thinking about it.”

Hakyung burst out laughing.

People always said couples start to resemble each other, maybe his own jealousy had rubbed off on Muheon.

But that jealousy made him so happy, so giddy, he couldn’t stop smiling.