JD 140 (End)

Today was both Hakyung’s routine checkup and Muheon’s follow-up appointment. Somehow, the couple had ended up relying on the hospital together.

“Looking at the abdominal ultrasound, the organ is slightly enlarged. Other than that, nothing unusual. Your blood test results are also normal.”

“Yes.”

“No pain, right?”

“N-no, none at all.”

Hakyung shook his head at the doctor’s question. Honestly, he often forgot that his body was going through changes. The only time he was really reminded was during sex, when the sensations were noticeably different, just enough to make him think, ‘Right, my body is changing.’ That’s how peaceful things had been.

The doctor nodded approvingly at Hakyung’s calm reaction.

“Even if you’re not feeling anything yet, your hormones are steadily shifting. And you know how humans, and that includes beastmen, are governed by hormones, right?”

“Yes…”

To be honest, he didn’t really know. He’d never experienced any of those so-called hormone-driven symptoms in his life, like sudden mood swings, food cravings, unexplained warmth, or tears. So it didn’t feel real to him.

Because he wasn’t feeling anything in the moment, his voice sounded vague, uncertain. The doctor only smiled softly at his response.

“If anything ever feels off, physically or emotionally, don’t wait for your regular checkup. Come in right away, okay?”

“Understood.”

“And you, as his guardian, please keep a close eye on him.”

The doctor turned to Muheon, seated beside Hakyung. Muheon nodded wordlessly, meeting the doctor’s gaze.

After going through similar checkups many times, their hospital visits had become shorter and more efficient. That was a good thing, it meant there were no major issues.

The cold tips of Hakyung’s fingers that always showed up before these visits would be warm again by the time they left. Every time, he would hold Muheon’s cool hand and swing it back and forth, as if to say, Thank goodness it’s nothing serious again today.

Once Hakyung’s checkup was done, it was Muheon’s turn. It had already been two weeks since his stitches, so it was time to have them removed.

Considering he’d been stabbed, his recovery had been unusually fast, and there was nothing much left to do.

“Yes, yes, the wound looks great.”

“Really? It’s okay?”

“Yes. But since we sutured the muscle layer too, make sure not to overexert yourself for a while.”

The only one really listening to the doctor was Hakyung. Muheon was too busy playing with Hakyung’s fingers, completely uninterested.

Hakyung, who had left his hand in Muheon’s, looked up at the doctor with shining eyes.

“Doctor, what about the scar? Will it be bad?”

“That depends on the patient’s skin type, so I can’t say for sure. But there are excellent scar treatment creams these days. Would you like me to prescribe one?”

“Yes, please! I’d really appreciate that. We can’t let a scar form, right?”

“R-right?”

Caught in Hakyung’s gaze-attack, the doctor flinched and agreed without thinking. And once again, it was Hakyung who paid close attention when the doctor recommended frequent and consistent application of the cream.

After spending all morning at the hospital, the two grabbed lunch before returning to the office. They chose pizza.

Coincidentally, the place they went to was the same one they’d visited before.

Muheon had taken Hakyung there once after noticing his shabby clothes, planning to buy him new ones and feed him at the same time. He remembered how Hakyung had been furious over the arugula pizza back then.

“Oh, this is the place, right? From our first date!”

“That was a date…?”

“Shopping and eating together, that’s a date. What else do you call it?”

Muheon chuckled quietly at Hakyung’s insistence. The definition of a date was oddly light. Back then, they hadn’t even had feelings for each other yet.

Still, Muheon never disagreed with anything Hakyung said. So there was no argument.

“That’s why you shouldn’t go shopping or eat out with anyone else. It’s a date.”

In a solemn tone, Hakyung warned Muheon and then pressed the call bell. The staff member who approached did a slight double take when he recognized Hakyung’s face, likely a frequent YouTube viewer.

“Uh… hello.”

“Yes, hello.”

Blushing, the staff shyly confessed to being a fan of Mu-il Mu-i Channel. After taking a photo with the employee, Hakyung confidently ordered the arugula pizza. He also added carbonara and sirloin steak. He even selected garnishes with ease, the entire process so natural that Muheon raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve officially become a Seoul river dolphin.”

At Muheon’s comment, Hakyung raised his chin proudly. Now brimming with confidence, he folded his arms and replied.

“I’ve had so many different kinds of food since I came up to Seoul. This is nothing, piece of cake!”

“You got so mad at me over spinach the first time…”

At Muheon’s teasing smile, Hakyung’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Back then, he’d truly believed Muheon had ordered a pizza piled with spinach just to mock him.

Even though he’d insisted multiple times on hot chicken pizza, Muheon had deliberately gone for a veggie-loaded one, which made it feel all the more spiteful. It was something they could laugh about now, at least.

Before long, the table was full of the food they ordered. Hakyung picked up a slice of pizza first and placed it on Muheon’s plate.

“You’re not feeding me this time?”

“You got your stitches out.”

“So now that the stitches are out, I get tossed aside just like that…?”

Muheon stared at Hakyung as if betrayed. His perfectly fine shoulder suddenly felt sore again.

Frowning, Muheon placed a hand on his left shoulder. At that, Hakyung quickly cut the pizza into bite-sized pieces and held one up with a fork to Muheon’s mouth.

They weren’t sitting side by side like at home, but this wasn’t too bad either.

Satisfied, Muheon smiled and opened his mouth. He hadn’t realized how good veggie pizza could taste until now. Even the shoulder pain seemed to vanish. Kang Hakyung was definitely a cure-all.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right? Honestly, I did get mad about it at the time… but the arugula pizza was tastier than I expected. I’ve thought about it now and then.”

Taking a big bite, Hakyung wiggled in his seat. He could never stay still when eating something delicious, expressing that excitement somehow always made the food taste better.

One bite for Muheon, one bite for himself—before they knew it, their plates were completely clean. Rubbing their full bellies, the two leaned back comfortably in their chairs.

“Let’s start applying the scar cream tonight. Can’t leave a mark on that pretty body.”

Muheon nodded, then reached out to take Hakyung’s hand from the table. His soft, pale fingers naturally laced through Muheon’s.

Just like in the hospital, they absentmindedly played with each other’s hands. Then Hakyung opened his mouth.

“When you got hurt instead of me… I was really scared. And sad. And sorry.”

“…”

“I kept thinking, what if… what if it had been worse? Everything just went black.”

“You were that scared?”

At Muheon’s gentle question, Hakyung slowly nodded. Just recalling it still made his heart drop.

“But even in all that, there was one thing I was really grateful for. That I was your guardian. That when either of us is in pain or danger, I’ll be the first to be contacted, the one who’s responsible… that made me feel so, so lucky.”

“My guardian…”

“Yep. Bugging grandma to let me marry you was honestly the best decision I ever made!”

He remembered how she’d worried it was all happening too fast, and how he’d insisted. Thanks to that stubbornness, he’d become part of Muheon’s family.

And in a way, it was also thanks to Muheon, who’d dropped to his knees in front of grandma, declaring he’d marry him no matter what. From one to ten, they weren’t exactly a perfect match, but when it came to love, they were bulldozers in perfect sync.

Muheon, who had been quietly thinking about their relationship, gave Hakyung’s hand a firmer squeeze, silently agreeing.

“Yeah. You and I, we’re always each other’s first.”

“I love that. Always each other’s first!”

Beaming, Hakyung scooted closer to sit beside Muheon and leaned against his shoulder. Sharing body heat side by side like this felt far better than sitting across from each other. Muheon wrapped an arm around him.

He wished they could live like this forever—side by side, sharing warmth, being each other’s firsts.

In a soft voice, Muheon whispered into Hakyung’s ear.

“Hakyung.”

“Yes?”

“No matter where you are, no matter how many times it takes, I’ll come save you.”

It took a moment for Hakyung to fully understand what Muheon meant. When he looked up at him, his pale eyes were flushed pink and wet with tears. Muheon gently kissed the trembling lashes.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Overcome with emotion, they said “I love you” at the same time, then burst out laughing together again. Just like the first time they confessed, nervous, breathless, blissful.

< End of Jumping Dolphing.>