JD 51

The amazement at being able to breathe didn’t last long—Hakyung’s floating feet touched the ground.

“We’ve arrived. This way, Hakyung.”

Gi Sang-oh reached his hand out again. Where he pointed stood a massive gate towering at the center of a space surrounded by high walls. The walls were inscribed with mysterious Chinese characters and four-character idioms, adding to the grandeur.

The sight made Hakyung’s eyes go wide—it was incomparable to the company dormitory.

“This is Lord Muheon’s home.”

“Co… colossal.”

That was all Hakyung could manage to say. He had no words.

Calling it a “home” didn’t feel accurate. Even if there were entire villages within those walls, it wouldn’t have been surprising. It was possibly even bigger than the palaces where kings once lived, the kind he’d only seen on school field trips.

Along the endless wall, vibrant coral reefs stood in place of garden trees. Though they were still in Korean waters, the corals looked tropical. Hakyung couldn’t see an end to it, no matter how far he looked.

He had assumed the boss was rich—owning a multistory building in the middle of Seoul—but this wasn’t just wealth. It surpassed any expectation. Maybe he was as rich as that friend from China…

Though Hakyung had no clue about underwater real estate prices…

“You’ll start drooling.”

“Ah—yes!”

Muheon gently reached out to close Hakyung’s gaping jaw. Embarrassed by how obviously he’d been gaping, Hakyung let out a small, awkward laugh—not a genuine one.

His blowhole twitched nervously. Coral taller than himself… maybe he’d actually passed out from falling into the sea and was dreaming all this.

Just as his brain began seeking escape from this unreal scene—

“Let’s go in. Come.”

“Okay…”

“You’re not feeling unwell, are you?”

Seeing Hakyung’s dazed look, Muheon reached for his hand.

The cool touch grounded him again. Hakyung clutched Muheon’s hand tightly. If he got lost here, there was no way he’d find his way out alone.

As Muheon, Hakyung, and Gi Sang-oh moved forward, the largest of the three grand gates opened on its own.

There were no sensors, yet the door slid open like an automatic one, making Hakyung flinch. But the other two walked in naturally.

“Welcome!”

The moment they stepped into the compound, a thunderous greeting rang out.

The number of staff working in this household was massive—easily five times more than the company office. A true lord of the sea…

Overwhelmed by the gathering of sea-dwelling beastmen, Hakyung instinctively tried to back away but forced himself to stop. He rose on tiptoes and whispered to Muheon.

“Boss, are you actually… the Dragon King…?”

A surprisingly accurate guess. Muheon paused, then leaned down and whispered back.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, this place feels more like the Dragon Palace than a house. Or are all sea suin homes this huge?”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t know about other places.”

After all, the entire West Sea was Muheon’s domain. He’d never bothered visiting other oceans.

Hakyung pouted at the vague response—but then fell silent as he realized how quiet it had become. His eyes darted nervously.

All around him, those mysterious beastmen eyes were fixed on him. The way they stared was always uncanny, no matter how many times he experienced it.

As Hakyung began inching backward again, Muheon issued a low command.

“Lower your heads.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, everyone bowed.

Hakyung found it even more awkward and tapped Muheon’s arm.

“Why would you do that?! What if they say you’re abusing power at work and quit?!”

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that! Ugh, seriously! I’m sorry, everyone, you can just relax!”

Seeing Hakyung’s panic, the staff cautiously raised their heads. Muheon didn’t repeat the command, so it seemed they wouldn’t be scolded for disobeying.

Rumors had already spread—Muheon had a lover, and might soon marry them. That this lover was now here in the flesh was enough to cause a stir.

They had heard that Gi Sang-oh and Park Geowong were preparing the bridal chamber like a wedding was imminent.

But hearing something and seeing it with your own eyes were completely different things.

Muheon whispered in someone’s ear? Muheon let someone swat him? Muheon laughed when disobeyed?

Heavens above—was the sun going to rise from the sea tomorrow?

Even with their inner chaos, the staff maintained serene expressions. They knew that to glimpse even a little more of this new side of Muheon, they had to behave.

At first, Hakyung had found the stares scary, but he gradually adjusted. Thinking of them as friends or family of his company seniors helped ease the nerves.

“Hello, I’m Kang Hakyung. A river dolphin.”

He bowed politely, clutching his hat so it wouldn’t come off. Not sure who to greet first, he bowed toward the center.

In response to the adorable river dolphin’s greeting, the entire staff offered their own warm welcomes.

Noticing their genuine goodwill, Hakyung gave a shy smile.

So cute! Their faces lit up like proud parents seeing their child.

“Get back to your duties.”

Muheon waved his hand with visible reluctance. Even that half-hearted gesture sent everyone into motion like schools of fish.

Hakyung watched in amazement—then a large hand filled his view.

“Stop looking.”

“Huh? Looking at what?”

“Anything. Everything that’s not me.”

That childish jealousy in his blunt tone made Hakyung’s heart flutter. He grinned, linking his arm with Muheon’s.

“Boss, show me around your home! It’s so big, I need to stick close to you or I’ll get lost!”

“Is it that big?”

“Of course it is! I’d get lost in a second if I wandered off!”

Hakyung frowned at him like he was crazy. Anyone with eyes could tell this place was vast beyond comprehension.

Muheon merely chuckled fondly at the impudent glare. Hakyung seemed to be handling all this better than expected, which made him proud.

Not only was he breathing easily in seaward, he was bouncing around just as playfully as he did on land. Muheon reached out to ruffle his soft hat and give his round little butt a playful pat.

“Wah—?!”

Blushing furiously at the affectionate gesture, Hakyung quickly looked around and retaliated with a light pat on Muheon’s butt.

“Oho.”

Muheon chuckled and wrapped an arm around Hakyung’s waist. Trapped by the strong grip, Hakyung wriggled but couldn’t escape. Eventually, he gave up and idly played with Muheon’s hand around his waist.

That’s when he noticed something strange.

“Wait… Boss, we’re not wet at all, are we?”

“You’re just now noticing?”

“W-Well, how could I? So many things were happening all at once!”

Laughing, Muheon pointed upward.

Following his gaze, Hakyung gasped again.

Like an aquarium’s underwater tunnel, a transparent dome covered the residence. Fish of all colors swam above it, sparkling like stars.

Unlike the small river fish he was used to, these were enormous in number and size.

“Sea beastmen are still half-human. We need to breathe. That’s why we have a barrier.”

“Wow… that’s amazing! Your house is so cool, Boss!”

Hakyung’s cheeks were pink as he gazed up at him. Muheon looked at him for a long moment, then finally said:

“Kang Hakyung, we’ll tour the house later. For now… let’s go do something that feels good.”