JD 31

Like a gentle spring rain, the kiss fell softly and warmly, tinting Hakyung’s face a lovely shade of pink. To think he’d go straight for a kiss right after asking to date… Just like a naughty boss! And yet, he loved it.

When the long kiss finally paused, Hakyung narrowed his eyes and asked,

“Boss, you’re awfully good at kissing…”

He liked it, but he didn’t. Caught in the confusion, Hakyung pouted. At the river dolphin’s adorable complaint, Muheon just grinned without saying a word.

How many years had he lived—of course he’d kissed before. But one thing was certain: the only person he ever truly wanted to hold hands with and kiss first was Kang Hakyung.

“You’re suspicious.”

With eyes narrower than before, Hakyung gave him a look. Muheon kissed the corners of those eyes again.

At the ticklish sensation, the corners of Hakyung’s lips curled up.

“But I still like it…”

“So cute,” Muheon said, smiling deeper than before, and gently rubbed Hakyung’s back. How could someone talk so sweetly, so adorably? If he said he wanted to kiss somewhere other than Hakyung’s face, would that make him sound like a pervert?

As Muheon struggled with the powerful urge, the doorbell rang.

Startled, Hakyung—who had been fiddling with Muheon’s shirt—snapped his head toward the door.

Muheon raised an eyebrow. They hadn’t called anyone, and they hadn’t ordered anything…

“Wait, I’ll go check.”

In an instant, Hakyung shifted from Muheon’s lap to the sofa, his cheeks puffed out in protest.

So cute—like a baby pufferfish. Muheon couldn’t resist. As he headed toward the door, he turned back and poked Hakyung’s cheek. Softer than rice cake—he liked that.

Caught off guard by the poke, Hakyung blinked rapidly.

Seriously… I really like you, Boss.

Suppressing a scream, Hakyung stomped his feet in place.

Leaving behind Hakyung’s enthusiastic reaction, Muheon opened the door to find a hotel staff member with a gentle smile.

“Good evening. I apologize for disturbing your time. Mr. Huang Lin has sent a gift for Mr. Muheon, and I’m here to deliver it.”

The staff politely bowed and presented a long box to Muheon. Inside was a rare whiskey, said to have been produced in only a few hundred bottles worldwide.

Once Muheon nodded, the staff quickly set it up at the minibar with some snacks and left.

“Who was that?”

Hakyung, curious, came trotting out from the inner living room.

Muheon gestured him over.

“Huh? Wow, what’s this?”

“It’s from Huang Lin. Want to try it?”

“Alcohol? The bottle is gorgeous! Is this kind of liquor expensive?”

Gazing at the clear amber liquid, Hakyung’s eyes sparkled.

He’d only ever seen beer, soju, makgeolli, baekseju, bokbunja—stuff from the supermarket. So the appearance of high-end whiskey triggered a powerful curiosity.

There was no way his curiosity would be satisfied without at least a sip.

Muheon, without hesitation, opened the whiskey that cost tens of millions of won and poured it into a glass full of ice.

The color of the liquid in the glass was so clear and beautiful, it looked like molten gold.

“Wow!” Hakyung exclaimed, reaching out eagerly.

His body, trained by makgeolli, had no wariness toward unfamiliar alcohol.

“This is strong.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Have you ever had whiskey before?”

“Nope. But it’s fine. I really want to try it—can I take a sip first and then talk?”

Swallowing in anticipation, Hakyung wiggled his fingers.

Despite his doubtful look, Muheon finally handed the glass to Hakyung’s small hands. There was no reason to stop him—if Kang Hakyung wanted it, that was enough.

And so, Hakyung tasted whiskey for the first time in his life—and immediately understood what people meant when they said it burned going down. He also finally got why people went crazy for whiskey.

Unlike makgeolli’s sweet finish, whiskey’s charm was in its clean, sharp aftertaste.

And the aroma—he could honestly imagine walking around with his nose in a whiskey glass for the rest of his life.

Just one sip, and he was completely hooked.

Even though his throat felt icy-hot, he kept sipping. He couldn’t help it—his lips kept returning to the glass.

“Kang Hakyung, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!”

His cheeks were just a little flushed, but his speech was clear, and his movements were sharp. Because of that, Muheon grew more relaxed about Hakyung drinking. Given Muheon’s naturally high alcohol tolerance, the two of them, like fish in water, gleefully polished off the entire bottle of whiskey right then and there.

The problem came afterward.

The focus in Kang Hakyung’s eyes suddenly started to fade fast.

And it wasn’t just his eyes—his whole body moved like some kind of soft-bodied creature. By the time Muheon realized something was off, Hakyung was already wasted.

“Boooss!”

Had his river dolphin turned into a squid? Hakyung clung to Muheon, rubbing against him wildly.

Muheon was briefly taken aback by drunken Hakyung, but his heart remained strangely calm. Even with Hakyung glued to him and rubbing up all over, it was a surprise that he didn’t feel even a hint of arousal.

“Don’t do this here. Go lie down.”

“Nooo! Boss, kiss me againnn!”

His slurred words were so rich and exaggerated it could make an old man weep. Muheon let out a dry chuckle.

Hakyung’s face, already red, turned an even deeper shade at the sight of Muheon’s smiling face.

“You’re so handsome…”

Still clinging and refusing to let go, Hakyung was scooped up into Muheon’s arms and carried to the bedroom.

And even then, he couldn’t stop touching—Muheon was starting to think Hakyung was trying to reshape his face entirely.

After somehow getting him into bed, Muheon let out a long sigh.

He’d never had to care for someone like this before, but surprisingly, it didn’t feel like a chore. Though, that was only when it came to Kang Hakyung.

Even in bed, Hakyung pulled his hat down low and rolled around. The soft mattress and fluffy sheets seemed to win him over completely as he giggled in delight.

He might’ve been past twenty and legally an adult by beastman standards, but his expressions and actions were full of innocent charm.

Feeling like he was dealing with a child, Muheon pulled back the hand he’d reached out with.

He didn’t mean to act all overzealous just because they’d kissed after deciding to date, but either way, he had no intention of doing anything with a drunk person.

Once he’d tucked Hakyung in, Muheon quietly shut the bedroom door and stepped back into the living room.

He figured he might as well finish the makgeolli Hakyung had bought.

Drinking rice wine alongside fancy cheeses and fruits made for an odd scene—but somehow, it suited Muheon.

***

As he knocked back the makgeolli bottle by bottle, a small hand suddenly reached out and took his glass.

“So stingy.”

“When did you wake up? How are you feeling?”

“Me? I’m totally fine. Why?”

His pronunciation had definitely improved from earlier. Still, Muheon didn’t let his guard down. The hand holding the glass was trembling faintly.

Not knowing when Hakyung might drop it, Muheon reached out and took the glass back.

Hakyung’s cheeks puffed up for a moment, then deflated.

“I want to drink too.”

“I already finished it.”

Muheon quickly downed the rest of the makgeolli and grabbed Hakyung by the wrist, intending to lead him back to bed. But for some reason, Hakyung planted his feet firmly and refused to budge.

Muheon’s brows knit slightly. Still drunk, he thought, sighing internally, then gently picked Hakyung up again—just like before.

But this time, it wasn’t so easy.

Hakyung’s small, round butt brushed right up against his center and wiggled, just enough to make Muheon freeze in place.

Even if he was akin to a god, his body was still human.

When stimulated, it reacted—and when the person he had feelings for touched him, his sensitivity doubled. That was only natural.

As Muheon abruptly stopped walking, Hakyung nuzzled his nose into Muheon’s neck with a dopey smile.

“You’re from the sea, but you smell so nice, Boss.”

“Wait. Kang Hakyung. Don’t breathe.”

Startled by the sudden urgency in Muheon’s voice, Hakyung let out a little laugh.

His breath tickled Muheon’s neck, soft at first, then followed by a louder phoo! from his nose.

Delighted to be in Muheon’s arms, he even kicked his feet slightly as he whispered:

“Even if I’ve got a blowhole on my head, I still have to breathe through my nose. Seriously, Boss!”

“I really wish you didn’t right now…”

Half resigned, Muheon lifted Hakyung over his shoulder entirely.

The clueless river dolphin, unaware of an adult’s predicament, burst into giggles, finding it all very amusing.

As laughter echoed through the room, Muheon, growing a little mischievous, gave Hakyung’s shameless little butt a firm smack.

“Ahhn…!”

The sound that escaped Hakyung’s lips stopped them both in their tracks.