JD 29

Hakyung, an accomplice though not quite a willing one, was just as flustered as Kim Taeyoung. It felt like the boss somehow knew that the voice Taeyoung had stolen was actually his.

Hakyung had written, composed, and recorded the song himself, but the final version had been completed by Taeyoung. He’d used software to slightly alter Hakyung’s voice. So even though it sounded similar to Hakyung’s, it wasn’t exactly the same—not enough for even his own ears to be certain.

In fact, his younger siblings, who heard both Hakyung’s humming and Taeyoung’s singing every day, hadn’t realized the voices were the same for quite a while.

And yet… why did it feel like the boss kept talking as if he knew they were the same? The top of Hakyung’s head twitched with nervous tension.

Whether he was aware of Hakyung’s unease or not, Muheon continued doting on him in silence.

Whenever Hakyung thought, Those grapes look good, they’d appear before him. If he wondered, What does that cheese taste like?, a piece of cheese would be placed at his lips.

“Boss, how do you always know exactly what I want to eat?”

“Me?”

“Yes! The moment I think about something, you bring it right to me!”

Hakyung, now visibly relaxed, asked the question while chewing sweet grape pulp. Muheon looked down at him with a baffled expression and replied,

“It’s not that I know. It’s that you’re obvious.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You, Kang Hakyung.”

“No way…”

Hakyung tilted his head. And just then, a cherry he’d been craving dangled into view.

See? It’s totally because the boss is amazing!

Amazed once again by Muheon’s ability, Hakyung smiled as the tangy flavor filled his mouth.

Next to them, Huang Lin had been quietly enjoying the show. But his expression turned cold when he looked across at Manager Choi and Kim Taeyoung.

Huang Lin had been curious about how the three were entangled, but now that he’d confirmed Taeyoung was far less impressive than expected, any remaining interest vanished entirely.

Choi and Taeyoung, who had utterly failed in front of the company’s biggest investor, looked like mourners at a funeral. Choi, especially, was inwardly frantic, unable to understand why Taeyoung couldn’t even sing a single line.

Barely holding back the urge to curse Taeyoung out, Choi forced a groveling smile at Huang Lin.

“P-please, CEO Huang. Taeyoung’s just not feeling well today. I’ll make sure he’s thoroughly prepared and bring him back in a few days. So please, the investment…”

“Hm.”

At Huang Lin’s lukewarm response, Choi quickly grabbed Taeyoung and fled the scene. Staying any longer would only emphasize the fact that their ‘singer’ couldn’t sing. Though Taeyoung looked like he still had more to say, Choi’s grip was stronger.

Even as he was dragged away, Taeyoung didn’t stop glaring at Hakyung. But it was pointless—Muheon’s figure shielded Hakyung until they exited the lounge.

As soon as Huang Lin’s interest in Taeyoung disappeared, the ones who had been keeping a subtle watch on the scene began to gather at the table one by one. They were all aspiring celebrities hoping to catch the eye of the entertainment world’s biggest player.

The lounge felt packed with dazzling people, and Hakyung’s gaze darted around, overwhelmed.

He’d already felt deflated after seeing Kim Taeyoung again, and now the sparkle these people exuded only made him feel smaller.

What if one of them ends up catching the boss’s eye? What if someone starts trying to seduce him…?

Worries bubbled up, and soon Hakyung was scanning the room like a meerkat.

“Kid, keep craning your neck like that and it’s gonna fall off.”

Huang Lin chuckled as he observed Hakyung’s anxious behavior. Hakyung had thought the man was too caught up chatting with the others to pay him any attention, but clearly, being Muheon’s friend meant he was just as sharp.

Feeling as though he’d been caught, Hakyung flinched and quickly sipped his peach juice as if nothing had happened.

“Kid, then how about you sing? Muheon said earlier that you’re good—I’d like to hear it for myself.”

“M-me…? Uh, my throat’s hurting right now…”

Clutching his throat, which had been fine until a second ago, Hakyung let out a few forced coughs. It was a terrible lie, obvious to anyone, and Huang Lin let out a soft laugh.

“That’s fine. I’ll factor that in.”

“I—it’s just…!”

Just as Hakyung opened his mouth to refuse—singing was absolutely out of the question—Muheon spoke before he could.

“No.”

“What?”

“I’m the only one who gets to hear Kang Hakyung sing.”

“Come again? Didn’t you just say earlier that the kid sings well?”

“I did.”

It was true that he sang well. That’s why Muheon had praised him—but letting others hear was a completely different matter.

Huang Lin burst into laughter at the sight of Muheon making no attempt to hide his possessiveness and desire to monopolize the river dolphin. He laughed so hard his body folded over, to the point that he looked almost bizarre.

“I think that was enough entertainment. I’ll head up now.”

“Hey, it’s been so long—don’t leave so soon! Stay a bit longer!”

“I’m good.”

“Oh—goodbye!”

Hakyung hurried to his feet to follow Muheon, who rose without a trace of hesitation. Still, he didn’t forget his manners. Huang Lin waved with a kind smile as Kang Hakyung gave a respectful bow like a folding phone.

In the end, all Hakyung got from the lounge was a single glass of overly sweet peach juice and a few snacks.

He had gone in hoping to sip wine and pull off a charming flirtation or two, so he was seriously disappointed.

Sure, it was nice that the boss had bought peach juice just for him. But of all people, he’d run into Kim Taeyoung there, and instead of leaving a good impression, he’d ended up looking pathetic. And then the whole thing with Taeyoung had fizzled out like someone not wiping after taking a dump—it just felt gross and unfinished.

He’d come on this trip with the boss hoping to try all sorts of things, but not even a full day had passed and everything felt stifling. A long sigh slipped from between his small lips.

It was just the two of them in the elevator heading up to their room, so ignoring the sigh wasn’t easy. Muheon lightly placed a hand on Hakyung’s cap and asked,

“Why the sigh?”

“It’s just… stuff. Stuff dull-witted bosses don’t get…”

It was a very different response from how he’d been earlier, trembling in fear that Muheon had figured out the truth about his voice.

But with Kim Taeyoung out of sight, the heart that had curled up like a pill bug was stretching out again.

Hakyung muttered softly, low enough that Muheon wouldn’t hear. He grumbled to himself—how could Muheon not notice when he was practically staring holes into him and his heart was pounding like a drum?

Muheon let out a quiet laugh at the dolphin’s cute babbling complaints. At that laugh, Hakyung realized again that he couldn’t afford to waste a golden opportunity like this.

He swallowed hard and stepped half a pace closer to Muheon. Now, less than 10 centimeters separated them.

“Boss, do you like alcohol?”

“Alcohol?”

“Yeah! I’ll buy you a drink. Just you.”

Hakyung winked with one eye, tossing Muheon’s earlier line right back at him. It was his boldest move yet.

Heart pounding with anticipation, he waited for the reply—Muheon gave another soft chuckle and nodded. At that smile, Hakyung’s ears flushed red.

“What’re you gonna buy me?”

“What would you like? Should we go back to the lounge?”

“No need. Too much hassle. Just grab something from the convenience store.”

“Then… okay, sure!”

If it meant drinking together in their room, that was even better. Pretending to give in, Hakyung pressed the button for the first floor, hiding a sly grin.

The drink he picked at the convenience store was makgeolli.

He’d been drinking it since he was young, helping out elders in his village and getting a cup or two in return. He was confident he could down several bottles without getting drunk.

In fact, back in his hometown, Hakyung was known as the makgeolli heavyweight.

Not that it was something to brag about—he didn’t bring it up—but still, makgeolli was definitely his drink of choice.

These days, makgeolli came in so many flavors it was hard to count them all. But for Hakyung, the undisputed number one was chestnut makgeolli.

Sweet and smooth, it never got old. Luckily, the convenience store here had it in stock, and he cradled two bottles in his arms.

Muheon raised an eyebrow, surprised by the choice.

“We’re drinking that?”

“Yes! Why, boss—are you a lightweight?”

He tested the waters with a sly question, but Muheon just gave him a condescending look. After everything he’d been through in life, no way he was weaker than this tiny Kang Hakyung.

Muheon took the two bottles of chestnut makgeolli and added three more bottles of fresh makgeolli on top.

Thus began their real night.