JD 27

He had figured it out—Kim Taeyoung had figured out how Hakyung felt.

Hakyung desperately wanted to get out of there. If he stayed a moment longer, it felt like that irritating mouth would blurt out exactly what was in his heart.

“Hm? Isn’t that right, Hakyung?”

“……”

Hakyung kept his lips firmly shut, unable to figure out what answer might steer Taeyoung’s attention away. Then, unexpectedly, a voice came from above him.

“Of course he does. I’ve saved his life twice, and I treat him so well… Why wouldn’t he like me?”

That unusually long explanation from Muheon was so out of character that Taeyoung’s and Hakyung’s eyes widened. Despite the two pairs of eyes now fixed on him, Muheon calmly draped an arm around Hakyung’s shoulders.

Like a deer caught in a trap, unable to escape Taeyoung, Hakyung naturally found himself leaning into Muheon’s embrace. The moment the boss’s firm arm wrapped around him, his anxious heart settled.

“Yeah. That’s right. When I got tricked by you and ended up on the streets, the boss took me in. I’m really grateful. And I do like him a lot.”

At Hakyung’s steady words, the painted smile on Taeyoung’s face twisted out of shape. “‘When I got tricked by you and ended up on the streets,’” he echoed, laughing under his breath in disbelief. It was obvious Hakyung was going all in on making him the villain now that someone was finally taking his side.

Though he flinched for a second at Taeyoung’s derisive laugh, Hakyung held firm, trusting the solid weight on his shoulder.

“From now on, I have to pay the boss back and work, so I can’t go back to the countryside. And you were the one who cut contact first, so let’s just keep it that way.”

“What? Kang Hakyung, are you insane?”

With that blunt declaration of cutting ties, Taeyoung dropped his act. He reached out to grab Hakyung in a fit of anger—

—but a large hand shot out and blocked him first.

What the hell? Who does this guy think he is? Kang Hakyung and the boss—what a pair of infuriating bastards.

Taeyoung shot Muheon a glare sharp enough to kill. Hakyung would have already cowered under that gaze—but not Muheon. He actually narrowed his eyes slightly, as if amused.

“Your voice might be pretty, but your hands are downright filthy. Or maybe I should say your lip-syncing is pretty, not your voice.”

“W-what did you just say?”

“Language is what separates humans from animals. If you don’t fix that nasty habit of yours—those hands and all those lies—you’ll suffer dearly for it before long.”

Taeyoung took a step back under the icy stare firing out between Muheon’s narrowed eyes. There was something uncanny about him—something that didn’t feel quite human.

Realizing that he’d instinctively backed down, Taeyoung bit his lip in frustration. This was all Kang Hakyung’s fault. He glared at him, face twisted with even more rage than before—but even that was blocked by the man’s solid frame.

“Ugh, you two are unbelievable,” Taeyoung muttered, roughly running a hand through his hair. Just as he was about to spit out something else at Hakyung, he felt a vibration from his phone in his pocket.

When he saw “Manager Choi” on the screen, a jolt of realization struck him. He wasn’t supposed to be ruining things with Kang Hakyung here—he should have sweet-talked him into handing over another song…!

That dumb dolphin got on his nerves and ruined everything. Too late now—it was already done. He’d have to clean it up another time. For now, meeting the big-shot investor from China was more important. Clicking his tongue in annoyance at the tangled situation, Kim Taeyoung answered the call.

“Yes, sir.”

— Taeyoung, where are you? The client is asking for you!

“I’ll be right there! Where should I go?”

— Come to the rooftop lounge!

Ending the call, Taeyoung threw one last parting shot at Hakyung.

“I’m going to call you soon, so pick up. And if you ever say that ‘cutting ties’ bullshit again—if you want to keep that life I saved—don’t even think about it.”

Now that he knew Hakyung and the boss were on the same side, he no longer felt the need to watch his words.

Though Taeyoung’s warning was laced with threat, Hakyung’s gaze only wavered for a moment. He had nothing to lose to Kim Taeyoung anymore.

The boss had also taken him in when he had nowhere to go, fed him, clothed him.

But unlike Kim Taeyoung, he didn’t exploit him, didn’t treat him like trash, didn’t steal what was his.

Right here today, Hakyung understood once again—what he and Kim Taeyoung had wasn’t friendship. It was something twisted.

“No. I won’t answer, even if you do call. I’m changing my number. And someday… when I get the chance, I’ll reveal everything you’ve done.”

As he reached the door, Taeyoung’s steps came to a halt. He turned to stare at Hakyung.

“Opportunities come to people like me, not to fish-head idiots like you.”

Bang! With a deafening noise that felt like his ears might fall off, Taeyoung vanished. Once his figure disappeared, Hakyung finally let out a large sigh of relief.

The humiliation of having his flaws exposed by the boss, someone who had nothing to do with the situation, and the affection for the boss, who had still taken his side, both surged up at the same time in Hakyung’s small heart.

Naturally, his affection for the boss took the lead. Hakyung rubbed his cheek against the large arm still draped over his shoulder.

“Boss, did you come looking for me because you couldn’t find me in the room?”

“Mm.”

“Did you come to look for me yourself? Because you didn’t want to lose me?”

“You know it well.”

Muheon, with one corner of his mouth raised in a smile, adjusted Hakyung’s crooked hat. His relaxed fingers indicated that he understood the surprise Hakyung might have felt in this situation.

Touched by the man’s thoughtfulness, Hakyung’s nose tingled, and he carefully asked,

“By the way, aren’t you curious why I’m being treated like that by my friend?”

“Not really.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Why would there be a reason for trash to act like trash? So don’t feel bad.”

Hakyung smiled softly at Muheon’s straightforward response. His body twisted as he desperately wanted to express his affection somehow.

Fidgeting with his fingers, Hakyung finally looked up. Even when looking up from below, he was struck by the perfect appearance of the boss and felt a burning urge to kiss him.

His heels lifted and lowered restlessly, and his lips puckered forward.

As Hakyung struggled to control his unruly body, Muheon had already opened the door and stepped outside.

“Kang Hakyung, go to your room, change into something nice, and come to the lounge. I’ll get you some fruit juice.”

“Huh? Really? Yes, yes! What about you, boss? Should we go change together?”

“I’ll go ahead to check if there’s anything good to eat.”

At Muheon’s suggestion, Hakyung nodded with a deep blush on his face, as if he had imagined something entirely different. A big smile soon spread across his lips. His face, which had been gloomy just moments ago, was now starting to show a bit of color, and Muheon’s expression became satisfied.

As Hakyung headed toward his room, pondering which outfit he should wear from the clothes in his backpack, Muheon arrived in front of the lounge in no time.

He waited in the lounge hallway for Kim Taeyoung, who hadn’t arrived yet, tilting his head slightly.

A few minutes earlier, as he had listened to Kang Hakyung and the trash talk, Mugeon had figured everything out.

When they’d been together, he had suspected that Kang Hakyung might be the young dolphin he had saved, but now he was 100% sure without a shadow of a doubt.

Moreover, the sight of the trash snatching Kang Hakyung away and messing with what wasn’t his made Muheon feel both disgusted and contemptuous.

“What should I do…?”

Naturally, taking everything from him was the obvious solution, but it was also necessary to ensure that Kang Hakyung would never be touched again. He knew that removing him from the scene was the simplest way, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like making it that easy.

Feeling his twisted thoughts emerge after a long time, Muheon smiled lazily.

How long had he been waiting? From a distance, he saw Kim Taeyoung, impeccably dressed like a young master, walking briskly toward him. Beside him, a middle-aged man was chatting away while keeping pace.

Just as the two of them reached the entrance of the lounge, Muheon stepped in front of them.

“Huh?”

Kim Taeyoung, who had spotted Muheon first, furrowed his brows. It was annoying that he kept showing up out of nowhere, and the Manager Choi’s presence next to him kept him from fully expressing his irritation. Kim Taeyoung looked up at Muheon with a sneer.

“I heard that unless you’re an invited guest, you can’t use this place tonight… If you’re here to drink, you can buy a beer at the underground pub.”

“I’m invited too. But you, you’re not really the type who should be here, are you?”

Muheon showed Kim Taeyoung the invitation and casually scanned him with his eyes, as if evaluating him. After a quick once-over, he finished observing with an expression that lacked any interest.

Kim Taeyoung, who had never felt any real emotion about people admiring his perfect face, body, or outfit, was now met with a look of indifference, as if Muheon found him insignificant.

As Kim Taeyoung was about to snap back in irritation at Muheon’s rude behavior, a voice rang out from the lounge.

“Muheon, I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

The Chinese big-shot, Huang Lin, walked out from the lounge, placing a friendly hand on Muheon’s shoulder.