JD 124

“Don’t worry about Hakyung’s safety. I promise, I’ll snatch that bastard up before he even gets close.”

“…Fine. You have my permission. What are your other conditions?”

As expected, this kind of negotiation always went smoothly with the West Sea imugi.

Beom Urim stepped a little closer to Muheon and licked his lips with a bright red tongue.

Like a dog drooling at the sight of a juicy steak, he looked like he was seconds away from slobbering.

Anyone else might have called it decadent, dangerously handsome, maybe even sexy.

But Muheon, who was well aware of Beom Urim’s perverted tendencies, found it purely disgusting.

Muheon pushed Beom Urim’s forehead back with a finger to force him several steps away and gave a curt command.

“Stay there. Talk.”

“Haha! It’s still so hard to get close to you, huh? It hurts my feelings.”

“Shut it.”

Muheon’s brow twisted in deep irritation.

Beom Urim just shrugged and finally got to his real request.

“First condition, I get to deal with that bastard however I want.”

“Do what you want. But if he pops up again somewhere, I won’t let you off either.”

“Come on, that won’t happen.”

Beom Urim gave a twirling smile and shook his head, brushing the concern aside.

Muheon knew the guy was a pervert, but also that he was ruthlessly effective when it came to work, so he nodded without further argument.

The first condition was settled quickly.

But when the second one followed, Muheon tilted his head in confusion.

“You want to borrow Gisang-oh? Why?”

Even Muheon, who normally didn’t care about what his subordinates were doing, found that request strange.

When Muheon asked for a reason instead of immediately agreeing, Beom Urim’s face briefly crumpled with annoyance, but he quickly put on a smile again and let out a theatrical sigh.

“Let’s just say… Sang-oh made a mistake with me.”

“Sang-oh? Not you?”

Muheon’s face grew even more incredulous.

At the skeptical look, Beom Urim gave his best hurt expression, eyebrows lowered pitifully. Not that it worked on Muheon.

Muheon barked at him to cut the act and explain properly. Outside of being relatively easy to talk to, Muheon had no tolerance for nonsense.

Beom Urim finally dropped the smile and got serious. This, more than the first condition, was what he really wanted.

“It’s not the kind of reason I can explain to you. It’s between me and Sang-oh. In any case, let me borrow him. Just a month. No—two?”

The length of time was creeping upward, and Beom Urim’s brazenness showed no sign of slowing. Muheon let out a sharp, bitter laugh.

Then he waved his hand dismissively, do whatever you want.

His instincts, honed over a long life, told him that getting involved in whatever those two had going on would only end badly.

“Thank you. I’ll treat him with the utmost care.”

Beom Urim gave another one of those nauseating smiles.

“A week. Can you handle it by then?”

“I’ll do my best.”

He pressed his palm to his forehead in a mock salute, grinning mischievously. Muheon, of course, ignored him.

Unbothered by Muheon’s cold response, Beom Urim shouted toward his back,

“Could you send Sang-oh over for me?”

***

Even from a distance, Muheon was striking. His figure, his stride, everything about him was eye-catching.

Hakyung jumped up from his seat and scurried to the cafe entrance like a puppy greeting its owner.

“Honey!”

Before Muheon could even touch the door, Hakyung swung it open wide.

Seeing his husband rush out to greet him made Muheon’s lips curl into a smile. Hakyung matched it with a bright grin of his own.

They grabbed each other’s hands without hesitation, despite barely being apart for more than ten minutes. It felt like they were reunited after a year apart.

Customers who had been sneaking glances at Hakyung from behind their cups now slapped their hands over their mouths in shock.

“Oh my god, did he just say ‘honey’?!”

“Then that must be him! The guy from the wedding video!”

“They’re both so handsome. Unreal… Wait, are they celebrities?”

“No way. If he were, I’d remember that face. Not a celeb.”

They exchanged wordless looks, congratulating themselves on not having left earlier.

Unaware of the attention, Hakyung was too busy excitedly showing off the gifts he’d received. Each dessert looked delicious and expensive.

“What do you want to eat? You don’t really like sweets, right? How about this one?”

He picked up an almond biscotti. It was still sweet by Muheon’s standards, but refusing something lovingly offered wasn’t even an option.

Muheon took a bite without hesitation, and Hakyung giggled at the sight.

Sitting nearby, Sang-oh clicked his tongue softly.

He had a mouth too, you know. But right now, he felt like a piece of furniture, like a sack of barley propped in the corner.

Hakyung did share desserts with him too, but the difference in attention was obvious.

As Sang-oh sipped his bitter Americano to wash down the bitterness in his heart, Muheon suddenly remembered something.

“Sang-oh. Beom Urim said he wants to see you.”

Sang-oh’s eyes widened. He nearly spit out his drink.

“Oh, right! You said earlier you had something to discuss with Uncle Urim!”

Hakyung chimed in, wriggling in his seat as if to urge him to go.

He figured Sang-oh hadn’t gotten a chance to bring it up because of everything going on with the contract.

It wasn’t appreciated at all.

Still, backing out now would just be awkward. With a deep sigh, Sang-oh stood up and trudged off.

Unfortunately, Muheon and Hakyung were too absorbed in their little bubble to notice his mood.

After returning to the office with armfuls of gifts from fans, Hakyung shared them in a second dessert party with the hyungs.

Muheon excused himself, claiming work, but it was painfully obvious he just didn’t want to eat sweets.

“Hakyung, this one’s amazing.”

Bu Geunrim wiggled his shoulders as he popped a macaron into his mouth. His red hair danced with him.

Other coworkers nodded and smiled each time they made eye contact. All the praise filled Hakyung with pride, even though he hadn’t eaten much himself.

“So… are you officially becoming a singer now?”

Geunrim asked, already reaching for his third macaron. Hakyung had just told them he signed with Beom Urim’s company.

Hakyung quickly shook his head.

“Not a singer, no. It’s just that I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately, and they said they’d help me manage things so it doesn’t get messy.”

“Ah. But you’d make a great singer. You’re cute, and you’ve got a great voice.”

“I like working here more.”

Working as an in-house couple with Muheon, working alongside the hyungs, he loved all of it.

He liked singing, sure, but not as much as working with the one he loved.

“I love working with you too, Hakyung!”

Geunrim cheerfully patted Hakyung’s shoulder, only to freeze as a shadow fell over them.

Muheon had appeared out of nowhere, staring daggers at the hand on Hakyung’s shoulder. No—glowering.

Geunrim yelped and quickly withdrew his hand. A second slower and Muheon might’ve removed it for him.

“Uh, I have a lot of financial reports to go over…”

Geunrim fled to his desk, muttering tasks no one had asked about.

“All done?”

“Yeah. Let’s go upstairs.”

Muheon naturally wrapped his arm around the shoulder Geunrim had touched.

Hakyung, bright and cheerful, nodded and followed.

Up on the rooftop, they sat together on a bench before heading home. The sunset was beautiful, and a cool breeze made everything feel gentle.

Hakyung flopped onto Muheon’s thigh. He liked how firm and springy it felt.

“Tired?”

Muheon shielded Hakyung’s face from the sunlight with one hand. Hakyung shook his head and toyed with Muheon’s fingers. Muheon played back, intertwining their hands.

Their laughter filled the rooftop garden.

Unable to resist, Muheon leaned down and kissed his small lips.

As if waiting for it, Hakyung’s lips parted, and Muheon slipped his tongue inside. A soft moan followed in response.

He explored Hakyung’s mouth as though it were a sacred temple, and he was a starving pilgrim.

“Mmm… Wait.”

Hakyung gently pushed Muheon’s shoulder back. Muheon let out a soft growl of protest, clearly displeased.

To calm him, Hakyung gently swirled his tongue, and then pulled his phone from his pocket.

<Team Leader>

It was a message from management.