JD 33

The long-awaited, much-anticipated night with the boss ended in a puff of smoke. To make matters worse, Muheon disappeared early in the morning, saying he was going to look around the area—leaving Hakyung alone in the room.

Hakyung had wanted to go with him, but between the hangover and hearing that he was headed toward the sea, he chose to stay behind at the hotel.

Even so, the room was so spacious and full of things to enjoy that he didn’t feel bored at all.

He even took a bunch of selfies and sent them to his grandmother and younger siblings. He hadn’t gotten here on his own merit, but something about it made him feel like a successful river dolphin, and he couldn’t stop his shoulders from bouncing with pride.

“Click, click—capture the love in my heart!”

There were a few dark circles from the hangover, but the natural light pouring in from the wide window made his face quite decent.

Humming a song, Hakyung took an even more carefully composed photo than the ones he sent his family and sent it to Muheon’s phone as well. After all, they were now officially dating as of yesterday—how could he not miss him terribly even during a short separation?

But no reply came to the affectionate photo he’d sent, not for hours.

“Ugh, figures. So typical of an old man.”

Hakyung pouted. Thirty-six might still be young to most people, but to twenty-four-year-old Hakyung, the boss was just an ajusshi.

He glared at his silent phone for who knows how long. Just as he was lying in bed, defeated by the lack of a compliment, the screen suddenly lit up.

010-54xx-34xx

Unblock me right now.

It was an unknown number, but there was no doubt who sent it. After being humiliated like that yesterday, he was probably fuming.

That someone could make him feel this awful with just seven syllables… if that was a talent, it was a cursed one. Hakyung deleted the message and let out a sigh.

Kim Taeyoung absolutely hated being ignored by Hakyung. He would probably cling to him until he got a response…

It wasn’t sweet and salty anymore—it felt like someone had poured briny seawater all over a perfectly sweet moment. This should’ve been the part where something sweet came along to cheer him up, but the boss hadn’t even replied. It was genuinely upsetting.

***

While Hakyung wilted, waiting for a message from Muheon, the man himself was also struggling.

It had been years since he’d come out to Incheon, and the chaos that ensued was because everyone was trying to cling to him.

Even Geowong and Sang-oh had their limits when it came to pulling people off. Among the beastfolk rooted in Korea’s western sea, just catching a glimpse of Muheon was believed to bring good fortune for the entire year. If someone even touched him, they’d swear not to wash that hand for years.

“I’m not some kind of totem…”

Muheon looked down with a weary expression at the beastmen going wild over him. He could somewhat understand it from the older ones, but when even those not yet in their forties acted like that, he couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly.

Blind devotion. This was the very reason he’d gone into a deep sleep centuries ago—everything had become a hassle.

There were other imugi like Huang Lin in China who enjoyed that sort of adoration, but Muheon wasn’t one of them, and likely never would be. Unfortunately, his cold indifference only made people admire him more.

He was finally able to escape after shaking hands and taking photos with every beastman in the meeting hall. Though he had arrived at sunrise, by the time the work was more or less wrapped up, the moon and stars were already high in the sky.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“I don’t know why everyone was acting like it was such a big deal—it wasn’t even that long.”

Sang-oh and Geowong offered their apologies on behalf of the others. Muheon barely listened, instead checking the photo he’d received that morning.

Under the sunlight, Hakyung’s skin looked almost translucent. His pink hair peeked out from under a cap, and his lips looked plump—probably from all the kissing last night.

He was painfully cute and beautiful. Muheon didn’t even try to hide his smiling lips as he stared at the screen. It looked like he might get sucked right into the phone, prompting Geowong and Sang-oh to glance at each other.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Who knows? From a glance, it looked like Hakyung’s face…’

‘Seriously…?’

Why was he smiling like that at the river dolphin? Sang-oh frowned, not knowing the full extent of the historic events of yesterday. Meanwhile, Geowong, who had fetched Hakyung’s honey water that morning in Muheon’s stead, wore an odd expression.

Regardless, the three of them returned to the hotel, exhausted from the long day.

The lobby still gleamed, attracting guests’ eyes. Muheon, who preferred quiet to flashy displays, found it overwhelming and headed straight toward the elevators.

“Are you going to rest right away, sir?”

“Yeah.”

“Understood. Please let us know if you need anything.”

Muheon waved them off, not even bothering with a reply. It had been that kind of day—he was tired of even hearing polite words.

As the elevator rose to the top floor, Muheon rubbed his tired face with both hands. He hoped doing so might bring some color back. Then he straightened his wind-tossed hair.

He was completely unaware that all of this—every little motion—was his subconscious trying to look good for Hakyung.

Ding—

The bell hadn’t even finished ringing when the door slid open. It was so fast it wouldn’t be hard to believe someone had been standing right there, waiting.

“Boss!”

“How’s the hangover?”

Like a puppy welcoming back its master, Hakyung ran to Muheon, wagging his hips in delight. Muheon pulled the small body into a firm hug and pressed a hand to Hakyung’s forehead.

Unlike yesterday, he felt only warm, fresh skin. He let out a breath of relief.

Hakyung’s eyes sparkled briefly, moved by the man’s gentle question—but then he shook his head as if snapping out of it and immediately started chattering away.

“Boss, did you see the photo I sent you?”

“I did.”

“Then why didn’t you say something like, ‘You’re pretty,’ ‘You’re cute,’ or ‘You shine brighter than the sun’? Why didn’t I get any compliments?”

Muheon was a little amazed at how shamelessly Hakyung could fish for praise—but it only made him cuter.

When Muheon merely shrugged without responding, Hakyung’s chatter only sped up.

“Do you know how long I waited all day to hear from you? We’ve only been dating for two days and you already fail as a boyfriend.”

“Fail, huh…?”

“Well, uh… not fail, just… foul play!”

Startled by his own words, Hakyung waved his hands quickly, as if worried Muheon might say, ‘If not texting back is disqualifying, then you’re out too!’

Muheon let out a quiet laugh at Hakyung’s flip-flop attitude. He suddenly realized that he’d been looking forward to this bubbly exchange all day.

He leaned down and kissed Hakyung’s plump lips.

“I missed you.”

“Mm…!”

“I was even worried someone might lure you away with candy or something.”

“I—I’m not a kid! Like I’d follow someone for that!”

Flustered by the kiss, Hakyung’s cheeks turned bright red. He grumbled, clearly trying hard to cover up his embarrassment.

Still, the way he fidgeted and his trembling lashes betrayed his tension.

Muheon, who had the best view of every little change in Hakyung’s face, saw through all of it—but he kissed him again, pretending not to notice.

“That photo you sent… it was so pretty.”

“You should’ve said that right away…”

One more compliment, and Hakyung might’ve burst. He fanned his flushed face with one hand and tugged Muheon with the other.

He wasn’t drunk tonight… With just a bit of nervous excitement in his eyes, Hakyung looked up at the man.

“If you’re tired, let’s shower and go to bed.”

“Y-Yeah!”

At the word “bed,” Hakyung’s eyes sparkled even more.

Muheon understood what those eyes were asking for—but he simply stroked Hakyung’s hair instead.

***

The next morning, Hakyung’s cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish.

Even after spending the night together again, all they did was sleep.

Strangely enough, Muheon didn’t seem upset. If anything, he looked like he didn’t know what to do with how cute he found Hakyung’s pouting.

Their odd chemistry was getting more and more confusing, at least for Geowong, who couldn’t stop wondering about them.

They’d stopped at a highway rest area on their way back to Seoul. Though known for being quiet, Geowong just couldn’t hold in his curiosity anymore.

As Hakyung came out of the restroom, Geowong pulled him aside and quietly asked,

“Hakyung, did something happen between you and Lord Muheon?”

Just last night, Muheon had been itching to go see Hakyung. What on earth had happened during the night…?

Ahem. An awkward scene popped into Geowong’s head, and he cleared his throat.

At the question, Hakyung’s lips, which had finally settled, poked out again. The pout this time carried a heavy weight of dissatisfaction.

He hesitated for a while, then grabbed Geowong by the arm.

As the bigger man awkwardly leaned down, Hakyung whispered carefully in his ear—at least, he thought it was careful.

“Is the boss… impotent?”

There was absolutely nothing careful about it.