JD 60

Hakyung, his face now pink to match his hair, jabbed Muheon’s side with a pout. His fingertips ached from poking rock-solid muscle, but he jabbed again without showing it.

Muheon flinched, not from pain but from a ticklish sensation, and looked down at him.

“Why do you keep poking me?”

“This is your last chance. You’re not hiding anything else from me, right? If I catch you again, I’m seriously gonna spank you, okay?”

The more he spoke, the deeper the furrow in Hakyung’s brow became. Muheon reached up to gently smooth the fair skin between them. Still, the wrinkle didn’t budge.

Seeing the usually smiley Hakyung looking so upset made Muheon click his tongue in guilt. He couldn’t even laugh at the threat of getting smacked on the butt by those tiny hands—because there was, in fact, still one more thing he hadn’t told him.

“Uhh…”

He didn’t even scold Hakyung for his cheeky words. Instead, he subtly averted his gaze, which only made Hakyung more suspicious. He changed from playful poking to firm tapping.

Faced with this bold dolphin, Muheon surrendered immediately and muttered something under his breath. It was so quiet that it took Hakyung a moment to understand it.

“I’m… older.”

When he finally grasped what had been said, Hakyung tilted his head, unimpressed.

“I know. We’re twelve years apart, right?”

“No, more than that…”

“More?!”

“Mmh.”

Muheon let out a sigh and furrowed his brow. Hakyung poked at it with his finger, but the deep wrinkle wouldn’t fade.

Not liking the idea of his handsome face wrinkling, Hakyung stood on tiptoe, but then realized this wasn’t the time and hopped away.

“Wait—how old? Don’t tell me… you’re in your forties…?”

“Well…”

He wasn’t sure where to begin to make it less shocking. If it were his friend Huang Lun, he’d spin the whole thing with slick talk and charm, but Muheon didn’t have that talent. So he hesitated.

Hakyung, now looking just as serious, warned quietly:

“I said it was your last chance. I’m really not going easy on you next time.”

A declaration of war—this would be resolved now. Beaten by the dolphin’s fierce determination, Muheon finally began to talk.

“You must’ve figured out I’m not just any sea beastman. Like you said earlier, I’ve got a dragon-like true form, and with that comes certain abilities. Among the West Sea beastmen, I’m something like a god.”

Saying it out loud made him cringe a bit—it felt like he was shamelessly bragging. But he couldn’t just drop that bombshell without context, or Hakyung might be scared off.

He paused, then reached out and took Hakyung’s hand in his own.

Muheon’s naturally cool hand was like ice this time, and Hakyung gulped. He’d never seen his boss so nervous. Whatever was coming next… he braced himself.

“And… one more thing. I don’t show signs of aging.”

“Which means…”

“I’m not thirty-six… There’s another digit in front of that.”

“You’re lying…!”

Hakyung jumped. Even as a dolphin raised in modern society, what Muheon said didn’t feel real at all.

Sure, some people lived past a hundred nowadays, but to look that good—with that face and body—and be over a hundred? Impossible.

He instinctively took a step back—but then, seeing the hurt in Muheon’s eyes, quickly stepped forward again.

“That’s everything. Really, this is the last of it.”

Muheon lightly brushed Hakyung’s palm and raised both hands in surrender, signaling he had no more secrets.

“Sorry. I surprised you.”

His voice was low, sounding almost deflated. Hakyung couldn’t think of what to say—Muheon only became more mysterious and incredible the more he learned about him. He could only breathe in short, shallow bursts.

That made Muheon even more anxious. He hoped Hakyung wouldn’t run, that he would smile and move on like always.

Maybe it was too much to hope for.

He knew he’d relied on Hakyung’s openness and easygoing heart too much. Even so, just once more, he wanted to be selfish.

Muheon lowered his hands and cautiously stepped closer. Fortunately, this time Hakyung didn’t retreat—instead, he held eye contact.

Muheon accepted the emotions in those eyes and gave him a sheepish smile, tapping him gently on the shoulder. A rare, awkward display of charm.

To Hakyung, though, even that tiny gesture and smile felt huge.

The big man’s bashful little motion sent all that surprise flying off into the distance and made Hakyung’s heart flutter. He let out a loud, open laugh without holding anything back.

“That was so cute just now! Like a puppy wagging its tail after getting scolded!”

“I… was?”

Muheon looked mildly disgruntled, but Hakyung only laughed harder, his cheeks puffing up. Then a thought hit him—had he been way too casual with Muheon this whole time?

A twelve-year age gap had felt significant before—but now it was ten times that.

That meant Muheon was older than Grandma. Maybe even Grandma’s grandma’s grandma.

But if he started thinking like that, they’d stop being equals as lovers and he’d feel like a caretaker. Hakyung shook the thought away.

“But, uh… can I ask something?”

“Yeah?”

“If I act so casual around you… does it bother you? Like, do I come off as one of those rude kids these days? I can be more careful if you want.”

The sudden, adorable question made Muheon let out a chuckle.

“Not at all. You can be even more casual. You’re fine just the way you are.”

With that short but sincere approval, Hakyung’s eyes sparkled. His shoulders danced with glee.

For Muheon, who had been so on edge, it was a massive relief. He quickly tried to change the subject before Hakyung circled back to the age talk.

“You’ve been here a week now. How’s your body holding up? Any headaches? Nausea?”

“Me? Hmm… Nope. I’m okay.”

“If you feel even a little off, tell me right away.”

Hakyung nodded eagerly. Truthfully, after being cooped up in the love room doing those things, he’d kind of forgotten they were under the sea. But that felt a bit embarrassing to admit, so he left it at “I’m fine.”

“Some land-dwellers say they get sick down here. Just making sure.”

“I’m good!”

Pleased with the lively reply, Muheon stroked Hakyung’s cheek and started walking toward the main house—where they’d only gone once before.

“We’ll head up this afternoon. Want to go pick out gifts for your grandma?”

“Presents for Grandma?”

“It’s a rare trip to the sea. Of course you should take something back.”

Thinking of Grandma, Hakyung suddenly tilted his head, lost in thought. Muheon, noticing him stop, turned around.

“What is it?”

“I just… suddenly thought, maybe I’ll die before you.”

“What…”

That wasn’t something a young dolphin in the prime of his life should be saying. Muheon’s face hardened, words caught in his throat.

Realizing the weight of what he’d said, Hakyung regretted it, but it was too late to take it back.

“There’s no order to who goes first…”

“Kang Hakyung.”

Muheon growled his name like a beast.

“That’s the most disrespectful, thoughtless thing you could say. Don’t ever say that again.”

“S-sorry…”

Hakyung bowed his head, properly scolded. If he’d said something like that in front of Grandma, she’d have smacked his back hard enough to leave bruises. So of course Muheon reacted the same way.

Despite all the cheekiness he’d shown so far, this was the first time Muheon had truly gotten mad.

“If you say that again, a spanking won’t be the end of it.”

“I won’t,” Hakyung mumbled, nodding. But he couldn’t hide the pout on his lips.

He was just upset and sad.

Like how time with his grandma was limited, time with Muheon felt just as fleeting. And knowing he didn’t have the ability to live for centuries by Muheon’s side… that was the hardest part of all.