JD 45

“You’re crying because Grandma got hurt… you’re still just a baby.”

“A baby? I’m fully grown! You saw, didn’t you, Boss?”

“Saw what?”

Muheon raised a thick eyebrow and glanced sideways, his expression saying, What part of you looks grown up?

With his youthful face, soft limbs, and adorably small genitals, Hakyung hardly seemed “grown.”

Even without saying it out loud, Hakyung could tell exactly what Muheon was thinking—especially since that gaze was blatantly stuck on one particular area.

Annoyed by the inappropriate stare, Hakyung’s tear-streaked eyes were now perfectly dry. He wanted to protest right away, but… he hadn’t actually seen it with his own eyes—only touched it—so he didn’t have enough ground to argue.

MHis cheeks puffed out in frustration. The boss never gave him what he wanted, just teased him with that smug grin—he was the worst.

“Boss, are you seriously gonna keep crushing your boyfriend’s ego like this?”

“I was just looking because you’re cute… is that worth losing your confidence over?”

Muheon laughed under his breath, touched Hakyung’s cheek again, and gently started the car.

Hakyung, who had been fuming under that loaded gaze, soon bounced back to his usual cheerful self. He seemed more at ease now that Grandma’s injury hadn’t turned out too severe.

On the way back, they stopped at a rest area—a thought that hadn’t even crossed his mind earlier—and Hakyung chattered excitedly while nibbling on this and that, marveling at the passing scenery.

By the time Muheon had finished eating tiny potatoes from Hakyung’s hand, they were already arriving in Seoul.

As he fidgeted and packed up his seat, Hakyung expressed his gratitude.

“Thanks so much for coming with me. If I’d gone alone, I’d still be stuck on the bus right now.”

“Then let’s go again the weekend after next.”

Muheon took Hakyung’s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. His thoughtful care made Hakyung’s nose tingle with emotion.

Without a word, Hakyung threw his arms around Muheon’s thick neck.

“I can’t live without you, Boss! Seriously—where else in the world would I find a boyfriend this amazing?”

“You can’t live without me?”

“Mmhmm! What about you? You can’t live without me either, right? Right?”

Hakyung beamed, clearly pleased after making the boss nod along again.

Muheon gladly accepted the bold display from his young river dolphin. He slipped his hand behind Hakyung’s slender neck and pulled him closer.

As if the cramped space between the driver’s and passenger’s seats was too bothersome, he simply lifted Hakyung into his lap.

Perched on his solid thigh, Hakyung playfully kicked his feet like a child and pressed his lips against Muheon’s.

What started as a playful kiss naturally deepened into something more.

***

Gi Sang-oh, who had been away for a while, finally returned. Hakyung greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hi, Uncle Sang-oh!”

“Oh, Hakyung! Been well?”

“Yes! Thanks to you. Boss said you were on a solo trip—wasn’t it hard being on your own?”

For someone like Gi Sang-oh—nearly two meters tall, built like a wall, and a shark beastman—a solo trip was nothing. At least, a normal solo trip wouldn’t be.

But this time, under strict orders from Muheon, he’d scoured nearly every sea.

Not just Korea’s surrounding waters, but the Pacific, Indian, and even the Dead Sea—he’d searched everywhere.

Even with enhanced abilities in water, this week had pushed his limits as a beastman.

Holding back a sigh that surged from his core, Gi Sang-oh forced a smile.

“Not bad.”

“That’s good to hear. You look a bit tired though—I was worried.”

Hakyung’s sweet voice was full of concern, completely innocent. With this much spirit, he might actually adjust well to life in the sea…

If they could even get him near the ocean, that is.

After that childhood incident, just hearing the word “sea” made him panic. Whether they could ever persuade him was the big question.

For now, Gi Sang-oh decided to leave that to Muheon. He reached into his inner pocket to check on the medicine he’d carefully brought back.

He’d tracked all kinds of rumors to finally get it from the Dead Sea—a rare and precious substance.

“I’ll head to Mr. Muheon first. I’ve got a report to give.”

“Ah, sure! Good luck!”

Hakyung waved enthusiastically, his wiggly, cute gesture making Gi Sang-oh instinctively raise his own hand to wave back. He felt like an uncle seeing off his kindergarten-aged nephew.

After a brief farewell, Gi Sang-oh knocked on the office door.

“Lord Muheon, I’m back.”

“Come in.”

Muheon didn’t ask whether he’d found the medicine or what was in it—nothing.

Gi Sang-oh, used to this, quietly took the box from his coat and placed it gently on the desk.

Inside the ornate box was something that shimmered like a black pearl.

“This is a medicine that lets humans survive in the sea. Legend says it was created by a king who fell in love with a sea beastman centuries ago.”

“Hm…”

“It’s been tested many times. It’s even recorded in historical texts, and there are still secret trades happening to this day. People are just that curious about the world of sea beastmen.”

They say humanity knows more about galaxies millions of light-years away than they do about the ocean just a few kilometers beneath them.

Past a certain depth, the pressure makes all human technology useless.

That’s why people are as fascinated by the sea as they are by space. Sea-born beastmen, therefore, always attracted curiosity.

Not that they lived in the deepest trenches or anything—after all, they were still half-human.

They couldn’t go too deep either. Occasionally, strange deep-sea creatures would drift upward and amaze people—but those were rare.

Muheon, of course, wasn’t like regular beastmen. His existence was formed of pure supernatural energy, unrelated to science.

If there was anything humans should be curious about, it was him.

But sea beastmen never spoke of him casually. They revered him, adored him, and kept him a secret from humans.

“Side effects?”

“Some mild fever, nausea, and headaches. But nothing beyond what you’d get from prolonged diving.”

Muheon’s brow furrowed slightly. Even minor side effects clearly didn’t sit well with him. Gi Sang-oh hurried to reassure him.

“It’s not enough to interfere with daily life! And only a very small number of people experience it.”

“What if Hakyung’s one of them?”

“I—I’ll get another kind, sir!”

Gi Sang-oh bowed at a sharp ninety degrees and shouted. Maybe if he circled the globe three more times, he’d find something better—he clung to that tiny hope.

Muheon looked between the bowed Sang-oh and the mysterious medicine.

It wasn’t perfect, but there weren’t any better options right now. Even though he could control weather on a whim, he didn’t have the power to alter a living being’s belonging to land or sea.

He clicked his tongue.

“Tsk.”

At the sound, Gi Sang-oh bowed even deeper, almost collapsing.

“Straighten up. Good job.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Face red from blood rushing to his head, Sang-oh grinned. It wasn’t perfect, but he’d brought back something that met Muheon’s expectations—more or less.

Muheon waved him off, and Sang-oh offered another loud goodbye before leaving the office.

Even after a week away, the office looked the same as always.

Rolling his sore shoulders, Gi Sang-oh slumped into the seat beside Park Geowong. The office chair creaked under his weight.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

“You get it?”

“Who do you think I am? I’d do anything for Lord Muheon! Of course I got it!”

Thumping his thick chest, Gi Sang-oh lifted his chin with pride.

In response to his friend’s triumphant tone, Park Geowong slowly clapped.

Feeling even more hyped up, Gi Sang-oh let out a loud snort.

That’s when—

“Uncle Sang-oh, what did you do for the boss?”

A yellow cap popped up from behind a partition, and a tiny face peeked out.

“Gah!”

“Heehee.”

Gi Sang-oh’s small eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and the usually slow-moving Geowong bolted backward—like lightning.