JD 63

“Then, for now, take your time and start preparing slowly. I hear the paperwork gets a bit tricky for same-sex couples… think you can handle it?”

“It’s fine. You know your grandson is good with anything on the computer, right? These days you can do all the paperwork online.”

“Really? Is that so? Well, Hakyung, you are a whiz with computers.”

Despite all the fuss, to Grandma, her eldest grandson Hakyung was always the best. She could never truly oppose something he wanted to do. As soon as she gave her approval, Hakyung leapt up and hugged her tightly.

She hadn’t even opposed that strongly, but he was so happy and thrilled—it was adorable and a little ridiculous. Muheon, standing beside them, also bowed his head in thanks. He followed with a promise to take good care of everyone going forward.

“Stick around and have dinner when your siblings get back.”

“Okay! They went out to study?”

“Yeah, there’s a test coming up at school, so they went to the library.”

Just like Hakyung, his younger siblings were diligent students. Hakyung hadn’t been able to go to college because of family circumstances and Kim Taeyoung, but his siblings hoped to attend universities in Seoul—and Hakyung hoped for that too.

They weren’t even in their senior year yet, and already they were going to study on their own at the library… what amazing and admirable students! Hakyung couldn’t stop smiling, filled with pride for his younger siblings.

“Okay, then until they get back, I’ll go look around the neighborhood with boss!”

“Alright. Just don’t go too far.”

“Okay!” Hakyung answered brightly, taking Muheon’s hand and heading out the door. Before leaving, he remembered to grab his old diving outfit from the storage shed.

Hand in hand, they wandered through the neighborhood. Most of the houses were one-story with low walls, so there wasn’t much to “sightsee,” but just walking together on a nice day was plenty enjoyable.

After their stroll, Hakyung led Muheon down to the river. It wasn’t the season for toha (freshwater gobies), so he couldn’t catch those, but getting a mullet or two would be easy.

In the tall grass, Hakyung quickly changed clothes and stepped out before Muheon even had the chance to ask what was going on.

“Boss, this time I’ll serve you in my territory.”

“Your territory…?”

“Yep! Time to see just how amazing a river dolphin is in the river!”

“So that’s why you’re wearing… this.”

Muheon gestured up and down at Hakyung’s outfit. The skin-tight suit hugged every line of his body.

He didn’t know if it was his gaze that was lewd, or if it was Hakyung who looked lewd—but either way, the thought that someone else might have seen Hakyung like this was deeply aggravating. Muheon stepped closer and draped his jacket over Hakyung.

“I’m not cold though…”

“It’s not about being cold. You’re dressed too revealingly…”

“Revealing? I’m not even showing any skin!”

Hakyung glanced down at himself, scrutinizing his outfit. No matter how carefully he looked, it was simply optimal for diving. There wasn’t anything unusual about it.

Tilting his head, clearly not understanding what the problem was, Hakyung made Muheon let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t Hakyung’s fault for not realizing—but from now on, he needed to be told never to wear something like this again.

“Your whole body line’s showing. It’s like you’re broadcasting to everyone, ‘Hey, look how cute I am.’”

“Whaaat? What’s even showing! Come on, boss!”

“Then should I wear something like that next time I go to the sea?”

Hakyung paused and imagined boss in his outfit—those broad, ocean-wide shoulders, the rock-solid abs, and those perfectly shaped hips… all on full display.

He instantly scowled and shook his head. Absolutely not. There were already truckloads of people trying to get their hands on boss—if he walked around the sea dressed like that, he’d definitely get kidnapped.

Fuming, Hakyung glared and warned him:

“Of course boss can’t wear that!”

“But you can?”

“I…!”

“Kang Hakyung. Let’s try empathy.”

Empathy. It was the one word that always left Hakyung speechless. Still, since he was already dressed this way, shouldn’t he at least show off his skills a bit? He returned boss’s jacket and stepped toward the river.

“Today it’s just us, so it should be fine, right…? Just wait a sec, boss! I’ll catch you a good one!”

Muheon could only laugh helplessly as Hakyung ignored him. Hakyung, now high on the thrill of dipping into the river again after so long, began to sing a work song.

Humming, he shot like an arrow toward the center of the river. During bright daylight, most fish rested in crevices between rocks, so he had to search diligently.

But river swimming was Hakyung’s specialty—he moved through the murky water with ease, and before long, he emerged holding a plump, fat mullet.

Muheon applauded with a majestic attitude. Whether it was visible from afar, Hakyung gave an exaggerated gesture to express his gratitude. Just like Muheon felt more comfortable being active on the sea than on land, Hakyung also swam more joyfully in the river.

Pink-colored hair appeared here and there, making Muheon’s gaze dizzy.

Muheon fell in love again with Hakyung’s swimming skills as he gracefully cut through the river with smooth movements.

Hakyung, who had caught a handful of snails to eat with the fish, smiled and swiftly headed toward the center of the river.

The droplets of water left on his pale skin sparkled as they reflected the sunlight. Hakyung was a being that harmonized so well with all things that shone in the world. He reached out his hand toward Hakyung, whose eyes narrowed.

Hakyung quickly embraced him. Of course, he couldn’t wet the boss’s clothes, so they remained about 5 cm apart.

The mullet caught in his hand flapped and protested to be returned to the river quickly, but it was rejected. Hakyung was solely thinking of making a spicy fish soup to nourish his boss with the fish he had caught.

“Boss, would you like some sashimi? Should I catch one more?”

“That’s enough. Hurry and change your clothes.”

Due to Muheon’s ongoing complaints about the clothes, Hakyung had to head back to the bushes. He quickly put the mullet in the bucket he had brought along with the clothes and rushed home.

When they arrived home, the younger siblings were more bustling than earlier, possibly having returned from school. They blushed when they saw Muheon and shyly greeted him. Muheon smiled as he warmly accepted the greetings from Hakyung’s mini-me’s.

The colorful hats worn by the little dolphins were too cute. The young dolphins looked adorable in their own way, and the adult dolphin was equally charming.

Hakyung, unaware of what Muheon might be thinking, got into a heated conversation with his younger siblings about their studies.

“Do you only go up on weekends to attend the academy? Isn’t it too tough?”

“They said I have to take special lessons from now on.”

“Can you come alone?”

“Of course! If my older brother can do it, so can I.”

Hakyung, looking at his younger sibling who confidently spoke, shook his head. No matter how he thought about it, it was too dangerous for his underage sibling to be traveling alone.

“Boss, I really have to go study…”

Instead of Hakyung, who was firmly against it, the younger sibling turned to Muheon with a look that seemed to plead for him to persuade their older brother, now that they were one family.

Although Hakyung tried to stop them, Muheon, having already received that gaze, quickly offered a simple solution.

“If you’re worried about him traveling alone, I can send someone to accompany him. I’ll send a trustworthy person.”

“Oh, no. That would be a bother to them!”

“Hm. I think they’ll actually be happy about it…”

As soon as Muheon finished speaking, Hajo cheered with excitement.

Grandma tried to stop Muheon, saying it wasn’t necessary, but Muheon finished the conversation with a response that it wasn’t a bother at all.

“By the way, your grandmother’s cooking is really great.”

Muheon praised Grandma’s cooking, and she complimented Hakyung’s skill in catching fresh fish, praising her grandson’s talent.

The cheeky Hakyung, the river dolphin, naturally praised himself for catching the fish and making it so delicious. He didn’t come off as annoying or unattractive, only cute, so Muheon nodded in agreement.

“So, when are you and the boss getting married? Will it be in our neighborhood?”

“We’ll decide that soon.”

“If it’s in our neighborhood, will there be a village feast like when Sister Shin-young got married last time?”

Hawon’s face lit up with excitement. The image of the beautiful Sister Shin-young at the wedding was still vivid in her mind.

Hakyung, who had not yet done anything like submitting documents or even thought about it, smiled awkwardly. The thought of dressing up beautifully like Sister Shin-young and greeting the elders made his face heat up.