JD 30

Hakyung’s plan had been simple.

Drink three glasses of makgeolli, pretend to be tipsy even though he wouldn’t actually be drunk, and confess his feelings to the boss. That was the best he could come up with.

Even though three bottles of makgeolli wouldn’t faze him, it wasn’t like he could just show his whole self in front of someone he liked—there had to be some theatrics.

But now, after riding the elevator up to the room with firm resolve, Hakyung found the current situation more than a little confusing.

“Hm? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Why was he being interrogated like this without even getting to the “M” of his makgeolli plan…?

Hakyung’s eyes trembled like the makgeolli swishing in the wineglass.

“Well, um… how did you know that Kim Taeyoung’s singing voice was actually mine, boss?”

“I haven’t gone deaf just yet.”

Muheon scrunched his brows as he replied. He was more curious as to why Hakyung thought he wouldn’t know in the first place.

“So why the hell is that bastard parading around with your voice like it’s his?”

The tension in the air grew thicker, and Hakyung’s shoulders shrank. Muheon clicked his tongue.

Where was the bold little river dolphin who sparkled and spoke his mind? All that was left was a pale, shrunken Hakyung, no bigger than a fingernail.

Feeling a bit sorry for him, Muheon was about to say, Let’s just stop here and have a drink, when Hakyung suddenly downed the wineglass full of makgeolli in one gulp and began spilling everything.

How he’d nearly drowned as a child in the sea, how Taeyoung saved him and then used that as leverage to torment him ever since, how he even gave Taeyoung a song but didn’t earn a cent from the video revenue…

It had all gone on for so long, Hakyung hadn’t even realized how wrong it was until recently.

But spending time with the boss—being cared for, treated gently—made him finally realize: Kim Taeyoung really was a horrible person. What he’d gone through was genuinely painful.

Hakyung’s voice started to tremble.

Thinking about how upset his grandma and family must’ve been, seeing him dragged around by Taeyoung all those years, his eyes began to sting.

Plop.

A single tear fell into the empty wineglass.

That tear opened the floodgates. Hakyung began to cry in earnest, sobbing and sniffling, his face a complete mess.

Muheon let him cry it out until he seemed somewhat calmer. Then, he reached out, gently wiped away Hakyung’s tears with a large hand, and asked:

“Kim Taeyoung. Can he swim?”

“Um…?”

Hakyung tilted his head.

Truthfully, he hadn’t seen Taeyoung swim all that much. In rivers, Hakyung was always the better swimmer and would jump in first. As for the sea, he hadn’t even gone near it since that incident.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t picture Taeyoung cutting through the waves.

Muheon clicked his tongue again, as if he’d expected that answer.

“It’d be hard for a six-year-old to save a drowning friend in the ocean. He might’ve pulled you out after you floated to the edge, but…”

“Wait… huh? Huh?!”

Hakyung’s eyes widened at the calm words.

Back then, caught up in the emotion of it all, he’d assumed Taeyoung had saved his life. But thinking about it now—Muheon was right.

What a dumb conclusion.

The color drained from Hakyung’s face.

This was so embarrassing, he couldn’t even go around saying he was wronged.

He wanted to come off as cute and clever to improve his chances at a confession, but all he’d done was show how foolish he was…

Hakyung just wanted to turn into a water droplet and disappear on the spot.

As he bit his lip in shame, blaming his own stupidity, the boss’s big hand gently brushed away the tears still clinging to his lashes.

“You just don’t let it happen again. That pretty voice is yours—don’t let anyone touch it.”

“Boss… sniff… you think my voice is pretty?”

“Yeah.”

When the tear-and-snot-covered Hakyung asked, Muheon nodded—and even gave him a dazzling smile at the end.

Completely smitten by that smile, Hakyung lost control.

“Me too.”

“‘Me too’ what?”

“I think your voice is pretty—no, cool! And, even though you’re twelve years older than me, your body is really, um, tasty—no! Toned! Like I said earlier, out of all the sea eels, you’re the best looking. So I like you. I really really like you!”

He blasted past the hundred-word mark in twenty seconds flat, then gasped for air, the crown of his head visibly rising and falling with each breath.

Though he’d completely botched the carefully crafted confession plan, just letting out the feelings that had ballooned inside like an overinflated balloon was satisfying in its own way.

And it wasn’t like he expected a positive answer from the boss after showing him this mess.

The only thing he did worry about was whether things might get awkward at work after this. But quitting wasn’t an option.

He wasn’t going to give up just because he got rejected today.

He’d keep trying until the boss liked him back.

With that, Hakyung wrapped up his one-sided confession, future plans, and emotional resolve all by himself.

And as he smiled sheepishly with his tear-swollen face—

Muheon, who hadn’t reacted at all until now, finally asked in a quiet voice,

“So… is that a ‘like’ as in you want to date me?”

Hakyung’s eyes widened at the direct word “date,” and he gave a small nod.

His face, which had been ghostly pale just a moment ago, turned bright red—like an apple.

“Y-Yes. I want to date you, Boss.”

Worried Muheon might not have understood, Hakyung repeated it in a trembling voice for emphasis.

Muheon didn’t reply right away, and although Hakyung was bracing himself for rejection, a surge of hope still made his heart race uncontrollably.

It felt like that single glass of makgeolli was about to come right back up from the tension.

“…That’s strange.”

Not “I like you,” or “I don’t”—but “strange”?

Hakyung’s brows creased slightly at Muheon’s unexpected response.

“Like you said, I’m older than you, I’ve got the temperament of a sea creature… and you like me? Want to date me?”

Muheon’s expression, as he spoke like someone grumbling mid-drunken rant, was filled with dissatisfaction.

His self-deprecating words hurt more than an outright rejection.

Hakyung pouted and shot him a glare.

“Don’t say stuff like that. What’s wrong with you, Boss?! You’re cool! Okay, yeah, you’re older, and a gruff sea creature, but—!”

“That’s why it feels like you’re too good for me, Kang Hakyung.”

“I am not too good! You really think love is just about ticking off some conditions? You’re this old and you still don’t get it?!”

Hakyung huffed out hot air from his nose, incredulous.

Even if it was his own confession, he didn’t get why the man he liked was putting himself down so much.

The bashful and shy Kang Dolphin had completely disappeared. In his place was a furious little dolphin, fully fired up and ready to fight for his man’s dignity.

Amused by the sight, Muheon let out a short laugh.

“Alright then. Looks like Kang Hakyung will just have to teach me.”

“That’s right, I’ll—! Wait, huh? Huh?!”

All fired up, Hakyung suddenly froze.

He turned to Muheon, who was beaming as he opened his arms wide.

As if to say, Come here, let me hold you.

At that, the tears welled up again and rolled down from Hakyung’s big eyes.

Without a second of hesitation, he ran into Muheon’s arms and clung to him tightly, as if trying to crush his back.

Muheon blinked in surprise at how such a small body could hold such strength, then smiled as his eyes softened.

Only now, with Kang Hakyung in his arms, did Muheon finally realize it—

That he wanted this small being, not because he once pulled him from the sea, not because the grown-up Hakyung was charming—

But simply because he was Hakyung.

It was the first time in his life he’d ever felt something so complete.

Instead of resisting the unfamiliar, he decided to embrace it fully.

And the fact that he, not someone else, got to hear this beautiful crying voice—

That sent a shiver down his spine.

Even if he didn’t like the reason behind the tears… that was fine.

He’d be there to comfort Hakyung for as long as it took.

“Boss, you mean it, right? Wait a sec—look at me.”

“Look at what?”

“You’re not drunk off makgeolli, right? You’re not gonna wake up tomorrow and say you don’t remember, are you?”

“I didn’t even drink makgeolli.”

Muheon shook his head at Hakyung’s suspicion.

Honestly, he was the one worried Hakyung might forget everything by morning.

“Thank god… But, Boss, why do you like me? Is it just to get it over with? So I won’t cling to you and make things awkward?”

“No way. I liked you first.”

Hakyung’s eyes sparkled at Muheon’s answer.

“You liked me first? Then… that means you fell for me at first sight, right?”

Hakyung’s small lips chattered excitedly with a thrilled expression.

And Muheon leaned in to press a soft kiss to those cute dolphin lips.

The first kiss had come from a sudden impulse, before he even realized it.

But the second kiss—returning to Hakyung’s lips—was something he needed to do.